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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26859931">The Sario Effect</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vickie1/pseuds/Vickie1'>Vickie1</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>RE:Animorphs [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Animorphs - Katherine A. Applegate</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Compliant, Gen, Megamorph 2 and the Forgotten mentions, Megamorph format - Freeform, Mild Gore, Mystery, Sario Rips, Science Fiction, Surreal, Time Travel</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-05-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-08 20:34:32</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>39,724</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26859931</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vickie1/pseuds/Vickie1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Revamped version of an old, discontinued fanfic of mine under the same name. Book cover image and back summary on first page.</p><p>"It was supposed to be a normal Saturday afternoon. We deserved a break after everything we’ve been through. Then out of the blue, a kid bumped into us with a strange device. A Yeerk device. And the Yeerks want it back. We don’t know what’s going on. What this device is. Or how she is connected to everything. The only thing Rachel, Tobias, Cassie, Ax, Marco and I do know is that she might have the answers we need. But she could actually be more dangerous than Visser Three himself. </p><p>We’re not talking about the girl. We're talking about the Yeerk in her head..."</p><p>A retelling and a what if megamorph about the Animorphs crossing paths with a Yeerk and her human, as well a what if the Animorphs find there are other Andalites somewhere in the city...</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>RE:Animorphs [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1120086</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>16</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Book Covers</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Author's Note explaining a few things about this fanfic.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  
</p><p>
  <a href="https://imgur.com/dueJQPq">
    
  </a>
</p><p>
  <a href="https://imgur.com/11jUj3b">
    
  </a>
</p><p>Art done by me, Vickie1 (aka, vickie-believe)</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A/N: ...Sooo. Yeah. This is happening. Again. And if you are asking why a second upload, I have no idea either.</p><p>Ok for old and new readers to this, I had been writing on a concept about a Yeerk and a human with some original ideas and through many versions (I do not understand how am I STILL writing after all that). However, I honestly always get hit with writer's block due to conflicting plot elements and too many ideas into one story. The first editions were titled the Sario Effect, dealing with time travel elements. I then wrote the Pretender retelling and was also hit with the same problems, before I stopped writing Animorphs fics a year ago.</p><p>Since then, I've been focusing on other stuff and actually improving my writing and my story layouts rather than writing out of impulse. I didn't want to write with no clear direction despite having a concept idea. And with how I was developing my stories with point form and plotting, I was actually having fun. Then at the start of this year (oh boy), I wanted to go back to writing my Animorphs idea. This time, I wanted to use everything I've learned and how I organized my writing to guide it. Tremedously, it's thanks to Artisan219, the writer of the Animorphs Reboot series who gave me a structure idea of how to write a story that involves time-travel as several times my previous versions have always been hindered because I didn't have a consistent direction with time-travel. With reference of the Forgotten, several private rewrites, private beta-reading with close friends and the Animorphs group, I finally am developing a story I wanted to be with my many ideas spread out and most postponed for future books.</p><p>That said, I'm not done with the writing. I just so happened to finish the images above and I said to myself, "well....guess I have to upload." I honestly don't expect people to jump onto this story because some would expect this as same/similiar to my old version. It is not entirely the same, in fact, this time it will take a different new direction - and I honestly feel like I've written this before. &gt;:I I apologise for repeating again. But absolutely, this story won't be the same as before (it doesn't have that decahedron blue device, nor the ship, nor any crazy ideas! This is gonna be a straightforward...sorta-complicated plot!). Moreover, after this, I plan to rework on the Pretender as it will be the continuation after the Sario Effect.</p><p>BTW, if this time travel plot AGAIN gives me another writer's block, I'm throwing the towel on this concept altogether! It's not even funny how many times I've written this story in different lights! This is the final time I'm working on this story plot.</p><p>Before I roll over to the first three chapters, I want to give my biggest thanks to three people, Artisan219, Kara from the Animorphs group and Nicky B from the Discord group for the many suggestions, help, beta-proofing and mostly the many times you've stuck with the old versions til now). And again, I wanna thank readers of the previous stories for sticking around, tremendously the many support Animorphs fans have for this creation as well as my two OCs, Elle and V'trix. This time, I truly hope you'll enjoy this new and final version of Sario Effect.</p><p>I still cannot believe I'm revamped an old plot idea in 2020... I feel like an idiot writer.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. ONE: JAKE</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Just a normal Saturday afternoon at the mall...</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <h2>
  <strong>ONE: JAKE</strong>
</h2><hr/><p>
  <em>
    <span>3:23 P.M.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>My name is Jake. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I can’t tell you any more than that. Not my last name, or where I’m from. You know the drill. And if you don’t, just know that I have enemies. If they find out who I am, they’ll hunt us down. Even our families.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But you need to know that everything I’m telling is the truth. And we’re the only line of defence for this planet from the Yeerks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>What are they?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They’re parasites - small grey slugs that enter a person’s head, wrap themselves around your brain and take over your body. They make you do whatever they want. And you stop being a person. You become a Controller.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You can’t move your arms or legs. You can’t even scream. You’re trapped. Everything about you is the Yeerk’s. The Yeerk is you now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ridiculous, right? Something like that? It can’t be true. But here’s the thing. It’s real. The Yeerks have taken over Earth and they are fighting against the Andalites.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Andalites, in a way, are the good guys. But they can't help us right now - not when they have their own battles on the other side of the galaxy. Only six of us are fighting the Yeerks. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sounds like a losing fight from the start. Not reassuring either. I try not to think about the odds. Keeps me going these days.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>We’re not without any advantage. We have these amazing powers to acquire any animal’s DNA and morph into them. And we're using this power to save this planet. Because we’re the only hope Earth has. Just five kids and an alien cadet against the invasion, and the Yeerks’ leader, Visser Three.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s hard to believe. But you gotta believe my word. You can’t trust anyone. Your family, your friends, even the delivery guy. They’ll act normal to you, give small talk and all you can do is do nothing, knowing they’re not them anymore. Because if they learn that you know, they’ll make you a Controller too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Same is said with us. We can’t trust anyone either. If the Yeerks find out about us, then we’ll take drastic measures. Even if a Controller is a human.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>We have to keep going. Live a ‘normal’ life. That’s what we were trying on a Saturday afternoon at the mall.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>We needed the break after everything that has happened this far, especially last month… So we came up with the plan - we’d buy stuff, head to the beach and relax there the next day. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It got everyone in good spirits, Rachel especially. She took over the whole operation. Sending each of us to our own little tasks and to meet up at the lobby in an hour. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I was done with mine so I waited.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hey, Jake." Marco was the first out of our group that came tumbling towards me. He straightened up with a grin and out of breath. "Ready to leave?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He did something, didn't he?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No. Don't ask. Today is supposed to be normal. No life-threatening missions to worry about. That’s why we made plans to go to the mall. Less about Yeerks, more about teenage life.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I told myself all that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But...as the group-appointed leader, I had to ask my best friend. He was the wits of this group and one who gave the name, Animorphs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What did you do?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What? Me? Nothing." He lifted up a cooler. "Just got the drinks. You know, for Beach day! "</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You tried to hook up with a girl, didn't you?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yikes!" Marco jumped. Right behind him were Rachel, my cousin and Cassie, her friend.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rachel is the pretty Teen Fashion model type, though she’s not what you’d call dainty. More like touch-me-and-I’ll-break-your hand kind of girl. Cassie wasn’t frilly either. Or boisterous. She wore denim overalls and a plain tee shirt. She’s pretty - she has dark skin and cute, short hair and I kinda </span>
  <b>like </b>
  <span>her a lot.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was right.” Rachel crossed her arms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really, Marco. We've not even gone to the beach yet,” Cassie said, holding the newly bought blanket.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm gonna take a gander and say her boyfriend chased you away," Rachel suggested.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, I think she was interested,” Marco defended. “But her friend she was with wasn’t having it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And why would she be so keen on you asking her out?” Tobias spoke up, approaching our little group with Ax eating a cinnamon bun.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tobias used to be the gentle type. He used to get bullied at school. Now he was a red-tailed hawk, living as a human for two hours at a time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>We were given a warning when we first got the power to morph. Never stay in morph for more than two hours. In our first mission, Tobias had been forced to break that rule but he had gotten back his morphing ability and his human body. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>That’s the short story. Since then, he has lost that gentleness. Now, he had kind of an edge to his posture that still seemed a bit...off. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Is it unsuitable to ask the opposite sex?" Ax asked. "Sooot. Taa. Beeel. Beeel. I ask many questions to both Rachel and Cassie. Kass. Casssssieeeee."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"That's because you're nice and we know you, Ax," Cassie said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yes. Ax is weird. Because he's not human like us.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’s the only Andalite on the planet and in their native forms, they communicate through thought-speech. They’re sort of a mix of a deer, human and scorpion. Human mouths are something of an oddity as far as Andalites are concerned. So when Ax is in human morph, he has a bothersome habit of playing with sounds.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I...um.” Marco hesitated. “I kinda asked her out once and stood her up. Her friend. Not the first girl.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jerk,” Rachel sniped.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We were dumping oatmeal in the Yeerk pool, Rachel.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Look, guys. This Animorph business is killing my love life. Back me up here,” Marco whined.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m staying out of this,” Tobias said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Marco turned to Ax, his last hope. Instead of an agreement, he was forced to step back when Ax got too close to his personal space.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did you get the cookies? Coooo-keeeey. Cooo. Keeeeey.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, we got the cookies,” I answered Ax, holding up one bag. My job today was getting snacks. “Cinnamon-flavoured.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Marco frowned in defeat. He was asking too much there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Marco, we didn’t come here for you to flirt. We’re here to prep for Beach day.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Which I did. See?” He directed Rachel’s attention to his bag of drinks. “I’m not sloppy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh-huh, right.” Rachel rebuked. “Anyway, we’re done on our end. Really, Cassie. One of these days, you gotta let me look into your wardrobe.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cassie frowned. “I’m fine with what I have. What’s wrong with my old one anyway?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Lots of things! One, it’s outdated and two, this is supposed to be our time-off from saving the world. So of course, we need something special?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What is this? Is this another dress or something?” Marco blurted out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Swimsuits, duh. Why else would you go to the beach?” Rachel explained. “I had to literally drag her through the department to find a fitting one.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve never been so embarrassed in my entire life…” Cassie moped. “Jeans, I don’t mind. Swimsuits are just too tiring for me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nothing more embarrassing than our first sneak into Zone Ninety-Nine?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Still doesn’t beat it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, come on. Cassie,” Rachel said. “We’ve finally accomplished our goal in getting you a swimsuit. And all flattery aside, I think it looks really great on you. I’m sure you’ll easily catch the eye of a special ‘someone’.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cassie huffed out a sigh with one peek at me before looking away, cheeks red.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cassie. In a swimsuit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was an annoying lump in my throat that needed to be swallowed. I mean, anything Cassie wears, she still looks beautiful-I mean, nice to me. And I’ve seen her in swimsuits before, just with a shirt on top. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The longer I stayed silent, the longer I could feel Rachel’s smirk on me.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I cleared my throat. Change the topic, quickly!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Come on," I said, picking up the rest of the bags. "Let's go."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Before Marco sees another girl to flirt with,” Rachel rebuked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I really didn’t do anything!” Marco hollered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure, you didn’t.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So that was us, heading out the doors. A group of misfits, walking together to the beach.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And yet everything about it was normal. We spent a long time talking about whatever came to our minds. Ax threw in some Andalite words into the conversation. We tried to understand them but we didn’t. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>This was what a normal afternoon should be. Almost. I nearly forgot how often we used to do before we found out about the invasion. Now, we rarely do it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The normality distracted us from everything else until I realized how familiar the road we walked on was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, doesn’t this look familiar to you guys?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everyone else stopped and noticed it too. Well, minus Ax. He had never taken this route before. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wow, this is going down memory lane,” Marco uttered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Rachel said. “We haven’t been down this route for a long time,” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everything was still the same. The same side road, the same broad open field and the same empty and abandoned houses nearby.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nothing had changed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We never had a reason to go back,” Cassie added nostalgically. “Not since that night.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, but if we had…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Marco let it hang, he didn’t need to say it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Because nearby was a place where it all happened. Where we were given out powers. All thanks to a blue cube that gave us those powers. We had thought that the same cube was destroyed. But then it was recently found by a kid from our school.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Had we come back here once and took one look around, we would have found it. But...things wouldn’t have gone the way they did.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A lot of things happened at that one place, now that I thought about it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I looked out for the place as we got closer. And there it was. Two, three roads away from us. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The construction site.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A/N: As promised, the first three chapters are gonna be uploaded together. </p><p>7/10/20 - First upload.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. TWO: RACHEL</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <h2>TWO: RACHEL</h2>
<hr/><p>
  <em>
    <span>3:34 P.M.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>The scaffolding and concrete walls were easy to spot over the old houses.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>We all saw it. The very place where everything began. Where we got our powers that fateful night. Where someone we knew for a short moment died. Where someone else found that blue cube and lost everything to the Yeerks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I couldn’t help but feel a lot of things. A bit sad. And a bit angry. At what happened in the past. At myself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I looked at my hand. The very hand that touched the side of a small blue cube. And I gained power on that day. The same went for Jake, Cassie, Marco and Tobias too. And it hit us hard. I could see it in my friends. We hadn’t gotten over it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Honestly, I wished things had gone differently. I wished that I could turn back time and do a lot more. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Marco broke our silence. “Well, what’s past is past. Nothing we can do about it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was right. Even if he has a big mouth. All we can do is move on. And that thought helped us put our feet planted. Grounded. Push these feelings aside.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” I boosted. “We’re not here to grieve. We got a beach to go to.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hm-hm.” Cassie was delighted. “It’s a clear day today. No rain clouds on the news. Sunshine, the ocean breeze, swimming along the shore and-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And cute girls to talk to,” Marco interrupted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s only you,” I mocked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you talking about? Tawk-ing. Tawk.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The moment was short-lived. Because we sorta forgot not everyone knew what we were talking about. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ax…” Cassie stopped herself. Ax wasn’t with us that day. He was down at the bottom of the ocean, hoping that his people would come to rescue him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s nothing, Ax-man. We were just reminiscing, that’s all,” Marco cut in. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I really hoped that would be it. Ax would take it as a human thing and shrug it off. Then we could go to the beach and relax. No sad things to think about.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was the day you met my brother, correct?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Ax was Ax. He was smart enough to know when we were trying to change the topic.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“...Yeah,” Tobias replied softly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>We became quiet…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>On that night, a spaceship from beyond came to Earth on that day. Inside that ship was Ax’s brother, dying. We knew his name. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Elfangor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was the five of us when Elfangor gave us our power at the side. So that we could fight the Yeerks. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>We didn’t want to. But we didn’t have a choice. So we accepted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then Elfangor...</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I bit my lip. That memory was still too fresh. Even after a year. For all of us.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"...Can you..."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>We turned to Ax, who had a yearning look on him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>What he asked surprised us.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Can you show me...where my brother died?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Our eyes widened. We looked at each other - how should we do this?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ax-"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hey, Ax-man. Don't do this to yourself," Marco cut Cassie off but he had the same concern as she did.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. It’s like what Marco said. It’s all in the past,” I said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes. I understand...” We could tell. Even if Ax didn’t know how human expressions worked, we knew. He was struggling. “But...I need to see it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you sure, Ax?” Jake asked, choosing his words carefully. “There won’t be anything there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I didn’t know what customs Andalites have when grieving. Like if they had a graveyard or a Viking funeral. This was his older brother. He wasn’t there to witness his brother’s death.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And I knew on the spot. Jake was affected too but for a different reason. It was personal. What he saw in Ax and his loss was like looking into a mirror. A future vision that might come true one day.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Yeerks took Tom, his brother. My cousin. And there’s that one dark thought Jake had on his mind. If this war might take his brother away just like it did to Elfangor. Whether by Jake’s own hands or something else.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not going to bring him back.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ax reluctantly nodded. “I know …but...” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked at us with a stern face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But he quickly became sad.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This was the first time Ax had ever sincerely asked us for something important. There was no way we could say no.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jake thought about it heavily. He was the leader after all and we more or less knew the answers before he said anything. It could still be dangerous at the site. We don’t know if the Yeerks have stopped watching that place. But that was a year ago. And we could say we’re just walking by to anyone nearby.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So we walked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was weird. The closer we got to the site, the tenser I was, thinking back to that night. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I was preparing myself for the worst. A Hork-Bajir. Or a group of Controllers still looking for a bunch of kids who saw the lights in the sky.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I wasn’t that scared kid that night anymore. I’ve gone through a lot in one year. I knew how to fight. I had sunk my teeth many times.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But the moment we turned around the corner, there it was. Closed up and abandoned with old police tape left there. No spaceship. No Hork-Bajir. No Controllers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No Elfangor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I let out a deep breath I had been holding on this entire time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Geez. I really thought something would happen,” Marco groaned, yanking at his fringe like a wake-up call. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Same,” Tobias added. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Marco then gazed up. “This place always has bad memories. Think we’ll see a spaceship?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I scorned. “Don’t joke about that, Marco. You’re only asking for it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>We waited.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nothing happened. No small speck of blue light falling in the sky. No ship landing at the exact same spot. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I didn’t like the silence.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We really haven’t been here since that night,” I said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How could we? We were terrified,” Cassie pointed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Terrified, crying for our mommies,” Marco added. “Peeing our pants.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That was you,” I retorted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ax walked in further, maybe a bit faster than usual. He looked at his surroundings. Top to bottom. Left and right.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This…” His voice sounded strained at first. “This was where you found Elfangor?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Jake said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“...Where he fought Visser Three?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“All the way to the end.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>We didn’t see his face. Only his shoulders hunched up. Like he was proud to hear that. Then they sunk down.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That...that is good…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was nothing else to say between us. Just the sound of the faraway traffic.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s been more than a year,” Cassie broke the silence. Her smile was small but it grew wider. Warmer. It spread to us like an infection. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Man, a year. We’ve been through a lot of crazy stuff,” Marco said. “How are we still alive?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I still remember what you said,” I droned. “Idiot teenagers with a death wish.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah, but now we’re idiot teenagers and an alien cadet with a death wish.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I beg to differ,” Ax protested.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“On the idiot part or the death wish part?” He shrugged with a relaxed grin. “Still, we’ve gotten out of worse things on top.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I couldn’t deny that. We’ve had our moments. We disagreed, we fought with each other and got into danger on a regular basis. Somehow, we managed to pull it off. Thinking like that actually made days like this that more special. Meaningful.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A whole year of an adrenaline-filled, terrifying, fur-feather-covered roller coaster ride. But there were also some good times. Short. But good.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” I said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Again, the silence came. We didn’t make it go away while we stayed with our thoughts.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey. Don’t we have a beach to go to?” Marco droned, lifting the drinks up. “We can’t let all this sadness get to us. These drinks won’t stay cold forever.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let’s get going,” Jake ordered. Not as our leader. But as a friend. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And we can get you something yummy too, Ax-man.” Marco ringed his arm around Ax’s neck. “Food always cheers you up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes…” Ax slowly smiled. “That would be nice.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good. Because I heard there are food trucks over at the beach today.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Food trucks? Trak. Trak,” Ax played with his words. “What are those?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They’re like food stalls on wheels,” Tobias explained as best as he could. “They drive around to sell food anywhere.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A portable cinnamon bun shop?” His eyes gleamed with awe. “Incredible.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not sure if they sell cinnamon buns at the beach, Ax,” Cassie pointed. That made the poor Andalite deflated down with a frown. “But they do have funnel cake.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Funnel cake? Is that tasty? Tasss-teee.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ax-man. It’s not just funnel cake. They have everything. Fish tacos, burritos, ice cream, you name it. A full buffet of cheap, soggy, delicious food.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know we’ve already had lunch, Marco,” Cassie chided. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You might as well invite him over for dinner too, then,” I joked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dinner?” Ax’s eyes glimmered brightly. “Do I get to eat a lot of food like I did at Jake’s house?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Now look what you’ve done!” Marco barked. “Ugh, wonder if Dad has called in takeout yet.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>We headed for the exit. We got our plans for the day: have a normal, fun day and that was what we’d intend to do! No Yeerks. No Visser Three. No Animorphs business.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Our day at the beach might be meaningless or silly when you’re in the middle of a war but...we would be able to actually have fun and forget about the bad things. Just for one day.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So that we can keep going.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Suddenly, someone came through the open gates.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Whoa." The person bumped right into Jake and nearly tumbled back. Luckily, he was quick to catch her. “Sorry about that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She suddenly backed away from him. I recognized her face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Because I’ve seen her several times. From school and occasionally on takeout days. So of course, I said her name.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Elle?” </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A/N: 7/10/20 - First upload.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. THREE: TOBIAS</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <h2>THREE: TOBIAS</h2>
<hr/><p>
  <em>
    <span>3:47 P.M.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>I didn’t know who the black-haired girl was. And I could tell, neither did the guys. But both girls somehow knew her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The girl was Asian-American. With straight hair reaching her shoulders. She was around our age. Not as tall as Rachel but she wasn’t at Cassie’s height either. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Just a normal-looking kid we walked into. She did wear a parka over a leotard and had some running shoes on. But other than that, there seemed nothing odd about it at first glance. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Except something was off. She looked scared. Shocked. She even tightened her parka so much her knuckles turned white.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No… Why-” The girl named Elle was out of breath. Like she had been running this entire time. “You weren’t-! I wasn’t-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That wasn’t the only thing. She had one blatant obvious thing - her left sleeve was burned, showing raw flesh. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Elle, your arm,” Cassie hollered. “You’re hurt!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No. </span>
  <em>
    <span>No, no, no!</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Elle wasn’t listening. “This isn’t right!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right?” Marco repeated.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Elle, are you ok?” Rachel asked worriedly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We should get you to a hospital-” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>All of a sudden, Jake stopped Cassie and pulled her back. So I wasn’t the only one who noticed it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ax, isn’t that-” I started.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A Dracon burn,” Ax replied softly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cassie looked at us, shocked. But that was the conclusion we drew to. That would mean that this kid was shot.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>By Yeerks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The girl staggered back, trying to cover her wound.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Doesn’t matter,” Elle muttered to herself. “J-Just forget you saw me!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why?” Marco asked suspiciously. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Something wasn’t adding up. Moreover, there wasn’t any telling if this person was a Controller passing by. But we also had to be careful too. If she was a Controller asking for help from a bunch of kids who are actually enemies to the Yeerks, it could spell disaster. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>So this had to be delicate. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jake glanced at us one by one. We nodded. Everyone had the same thought. Whatever it was, it was Yeerk-related.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Elle, is it?” Jake asked. “You need to calm down. Tell us what happened.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What? No! You all need to get away from this place!” She was ready to run but Rachel was fast, immediately jumping into caution mode. She blocked Elle’s way with Marco’s help.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Elle. If you’re in trouble, you can tell us,” Cassie offered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stop making this difficult!” Elle groaned with frustration. She shook her free hand like she wanted to strangle someone. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How about you? You’re the one making it difficult for us,” Marco pointed out. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He did it to stall for time. At the corner of my eye, Ax stepped back. Ready to demorph and fire his tail-blade at any bad sign.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Elle was trapped. Surrounded by us.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How about we take you to have that arm checked?” Marco gave a passing glance at Ax. Silently telling him to get ready and knock her out. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hang on!” Elle yelled. “I’m not a threat! I’m helping you!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“From what?” Jake asked sternly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No! I…” She was getting hysterical, her eyes darting about. She might even have a weapon hidden in her jacket for all we knew.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know, I don’t remember us getting into any trouble today. So how about making this easy and cooperating with us?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Elle was lost with words. It was a standstill for her, after all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Or are you one of </span>
  <em>
    <span>them?</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Jake jabbed at her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Marco went wide-eyed, giving him a disapproving glance. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait! No! I’m not-” She grounded her teeth like she had a second thought. “Ok, she is. T-That doesn’t matter!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Doesn’t matter?” I uttered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But it did. A lot. Because if Jake was right, what she did was a mistake. You don’t easily give a reply like that, not when we knew what </span>
  <em>
    <span>they </span>
  </em>
  <span>were.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t understand-” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh. I understand plenty. You said we can’t stay here,” Marco cut Elle short.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They are coming,” Ax connected the dots there, bringing up the level of urgency to the max. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And you know something we do and something we don’t. Mind telling us how someone like you has that information?” Rachel pushed, her tone darker than before. “If this is some trick, then things won’t go nicely for you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That was enough to make Elle back away. She couldn’t reason with any of us.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Prince Jake, we should leave.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes! Leave!” Elle urged and tried again to go through an opening. Rachel jumped over to block it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re not letting you go,” she said before she turned to Jake. “What should we do?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jake thought carefully. We really needed the next step. We didn’t know how dangerous this was going to get and I wasn’t up in the sky to be their eyes. We were blind and we had two choices: we could go on the attack now or wait it out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait! Wait!” Elle held her hands up. “Look! There isn’t much time left. Just leave and I’ll leave too. You’ll never have to see me again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wow. How fast you change your tune,” Marco droned. “You come here, spewing stuff like a crazy person and you want us to forget? You gotta do a lot better at convincing us-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh my god. Marco, I'm going to punch you if you don't shut up!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Marco leaped back meekly from her outburst. Eyes as wide as dinner plates. This girl was reeling, prepped to hit him with a fist.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It surprised all of us too. Like completely not what you expected to hear when you have Yeerks close by.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait. How do you know my name?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t have time for this - Hey!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rachel grabbed her by the arm before Elle could force her way out of the site.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let me go!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not until you tell us everything.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Clank!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Out from the parka was something metallic and cylindrical. It was triangle-shaped and small enough to be held in your hand like a baton. There was an eerie pale green glow, bright but not as bright as the blue cube’s glow.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It definitely didn’t look like anything made on Earth. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What in the world...” Jake gasped.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Elle’s eyes snapped to Rachel. And she did the same. Immediately, both girls lunged down to grab the strange device.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rachel got it first.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stop! You don’t know what you’re doing!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What is that thing?” Marco asked, his eyes fixed on the thing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ax. Do you know?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ax furrowed his eyebrows. “That is Yeerk technology… But I do not recognize it,” he answered Jake’s question.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even if it wasn’t much of an answer, that was our smoking gun. This </span>
  <em>
    <span>did </span>
  </em>
  <span>involve the Yeerks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where did you get that, Elle?” Cassie asked pacifically.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Another good question. No way a normal kid like her could get her hands on Yeerk tech. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Give it back!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If I had to guess, somewhere a Controller could easily get their hands on,” Rachel pointed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>a Controller!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Our circle around her tightened. There was no way we could let her go, or believe anything she said. The only person reluctant to do so was Cassie. Eventually, she joined us in blocking Elle’s escape.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rachel was right. We’ve already been through something like this before. We couldn’t let it happen a second time. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s also convenient to have </span>
  <em>
    <span>you </span>
  </em>
  <span>come to </span>
  <em>
    <span>us</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Rachel barked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then we are exposed,” Ax pointed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t know what you’re getting yourself into!” the black-haired girl yelled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then tell us exactly what we’re ‘getting ourselves in’,” Jake warned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t! It’d change everything!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Basically, you mean our fate is already sealed,” Rachel said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Listen to me! Give me back the battery before the Yeerks come!” Elle begged. “They can’t have it!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They won’t get it,” Jake explained, still keeping his cool. “We’ll keep it away from them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And we’re taking you too,” Rachel said. “Whether you like it or not.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m doing this for </span>
  <em>
    <span>your own good!</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Out of the blue, Elle shoved Rachel with her shoulder. Hard enough to take her down. Rachel, who could tear Hork-Bajirs and Taxxons apart as a Grizzly bear without any hesitation. Rachel, the strongest out of this group. She didn’t see it coming.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oofmph!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Rachel!” I dropped down to her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stop!” Jake yelled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before any of us could react, Elle had taken back the Yeerk device. She ran for the exit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ax demorphed quickly. Mouth shrivelling away, front legs sprouting out and the eyestalks were out. Pale blue-and-tan fur covered over his beige skin. A few more seconds and Ax could stop the Controller.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Elle improvised. As she was dashing out, she grabbed for the gate’s railing. Elle pulled with all her might, closing it behind her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Marco and Jack chased after her, only for their hands to bang at the gates. They tried to open it but I heard metal hit metal. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She locked us in!” Jake uttered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“HEY! YEERKS!” We heard Elle holler. Then there was movement. Lots of people.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She’s bringing them here!” Marco shouted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There she is!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Get her!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Through the small gaps in the construction site’s boundary, I could see Elle run away. I counted, maybe three men going down the same path she took.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then it was quiet. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>No Yeerks came to the gate.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait… Did she just lure the Yeerks away from us?” I exclaimed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, that’s good!” Marco uttered. “Let them handle this without us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cassie rushed to Jake, who was peeking out through the gates.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Coast’s clear. Morph into birds now,” he ordered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait!” Marco stopped him. “Are you insane? We’re going after them?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jake. She said she was helping us,” Cassie pointed out that one crucial detail to Jake.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His face said it all - he couldn’t help but agree.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No. She’s the one who led them to us,” Marco argued.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But why close the door?” I had to ask that. Because it didn’t add up. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Marco couldn’t give an answer to that. He instead rebuked, “She’s a Controller. The Yeerks are probably after her for some misdeed-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It doesn’t matter,” Cassie said at Marco, alarmed. “They’re going to kill her!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cassie’s right. Whether she’s a Controller or not, that’s still a human being,” Jake exclaimed. “She’s just a kid.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Marco couldn’t deny that. We all couldn’t. No matter how bad the situation could turn out, there was no way we could turn our backs on one of our own species. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>If we let a human being die, then we are no better than the Yeerks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is a mistake, man.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Like everything we’ve done haven’t been mistakes. Let’s go.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everyone dropped what they had on themselves and morphed before taking to the sky. Cassie was already in her osprey form. Jake and Marco were next, a Peregrine falcon and another osprey respectively. Ax followed in his Northern Harrier morph.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was just me and Rachel left.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Rachel. You ok?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. I’m fine.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Somehow, that came off like a lie to me. She was fine, of course. But she looked like her pride was hurt. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rachel was Rachel, though. With a deep breath, she was back onto her feet. Ready to jump into the fire like always. “Let’s go after her.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She morphed into her Bald eagle form and soared up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I was the only one who didn’t morph. I demorphed. Into my red-tailed hawk body. Buteo jamaicensis. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Spread out! She couldn’t have gone far,&gt; Jake said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>We did as we were told. Six birds in the air scanning rows and rows of houses and streets, it wouldn’t take more than a few seconds to find a girl being chased by the three Controllers. Armed and primed with Dracon Beams. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;I found her!&gt; I yelled. &lt;She’s heading towards the highway!&gt; </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Elle wasn’t the only thing I saw. Or the three men I saw earlier. It came so fast at the corner of my eye. I didn’t notice it until it came speeding in, right into my peripheral.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It headed straight for Elle. She didn’t see it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;LOOK OUT!&gt; I shouted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Elle did so. But it was too late.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She froze. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Like a deer in the headlights.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>SKREEEEE!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>            THUD!</span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A/N: 7/10/20 - First upload.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. FOUR: CASSIE</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <h2>
  <strong>FOUR: CASSIE</strong>
</h2><hr/><p>
  <em>
    <span>4:04 P.M.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>It all happened too fast.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everything didn’t feel real.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I watched it all. Miles away in the sky, I watched it happen.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>     THUD!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>The blue Volks came down one road but for Elle, it came out of nowhere. Her body hit the front and flopped six feet across the tar. A car moving at 50 miles per hour on an empty road collided into her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It wasn’t real. It didn’t happen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I kept telling myself that over and over. But my eyes wouldn’t tear away from Elle’s mangled body. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She didn’t move.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then something red pooled out from her. It was all too familiar. Too horrible. My gut twisted so badly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;No...&gt; I muttered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This feeling, it was like before. That first night.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Elfangor was killed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh god!” the driver jumped out of his car. More mortified than us at the sight of a body “Oh god, oh god, oh god!” He dropped down to the body and I desperately prayed. “H-Hey! Are you alright?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She didn’t move at all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;The Yeerks!&gt; Marco hollered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I didn’t know what the others were doing. I was too petrified. All I could do was watch the three Controllers hurry over to the car as the driver tried to tend to Elle somehow. One of them kneeled down and picked up the device, five feet away from the accident.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They got what they wanted and quickly left.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Heartless.</span>
</p><p><span>“Hey! Buddy! </span><em><span>Hey!</span></em> <em><span>HEY!</span></em><span>” the driver yelled at the Controllers but they ignored him. “Someone call 911! Please!”</span></p><p>
  <span>The scene gathered a few passerbys. Two people rushed down to Elle’s body. Maybe to help her. Anything. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But even I knew there wasn’t much they could do. Elle needed assistance - they couldn’t move her head. They can’t panic. They had to stay calm. They have to wait for emergency personnel.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Or else she’d bleed to death. Or that her injuries will get worse. She might die from brain trauma. Or shock. Anything.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I had to get down there!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Cassie! Stop!&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I ignored Jake. I didn’t listen to anyone. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Elle wasn’t a stranger. She was </span>
  <em>
    <span>someone I knew </span>
  </em>
  <span>from school!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I dove down as fast as I could. There was a fenced up clearing, covered up by the trees and bushes. An ideal place nobody could see from the road. I quickly demorphed and ran.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Cassie!&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A feather-covered hand grabbed me back into the clearing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I looked back to see Jake, at least on his way to looking human. Morphing isn’t a graceful thing to see. It can be sometimes creepy externally and internally. Feeling bones melt and reverse or organs shifting uncomfortably around. We’ve been doing this for a year and honestly, you still can’t get used to it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jake was in between morphs, from a bird growing up with human arms and legs. His eyes were still golden and his mouth was still a falcon’s beak.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>If anyone had stumbled into the clearing, they’d think there was a cryptid nearby. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;You can’t go there-&gt; His thought-speech cut short once his beak melted around human teeth. “There’s tuk mmank wyt-nyes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I knew what he meant. Too many witnesses. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t stand by!” I told him. “That’s someone from our school! </span>
  <em>
    <span>Our school!</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cassie.” Finally, he was completely human. “There’s nothing we can do. You know that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I know.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And I hated it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I’ve been through seeing death. I’ve seen it a hundred times. At the clinic and on the battlefield. Some deaths had to happen. Some were unavoidable. And I knew there was nothing I could do about it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But seeing a kid get injured like that...a kid </span>
  <em>
    <span>my age</span>
  </em>
  <span>...it shook me to the core.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I wanted to save her. Before it was too late.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jake pulled me away from the accident. “We have to leave it to the professionals.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I balled up my fists. I didn’t want to leave Elle like that. But he was right. That was all we could do. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let’s finish what she started,” he said and gave a tight, assuring squeeze on my arm.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yeah. We can only do what we can. The very thing we’ve been doing for a year. No one else on this planet can fight the Yeerks but us. I’ve never liked this fighting we do. I had thought many times to call it quits and only once, had I decided to go through with it. But I came back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Because people like Elle, our families, everyone...they are the reason we keep going.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Yeerks chased her and got her into an accident. For a stupid device.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright,” I said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>We morphed back to birds and flew up. I still glanced back. I hoped so much for Elle to be alright. But like Jake said, we had to leave it to the professionals.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;I told the others to find those Controllers. They shouldn’t be far.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The sky was limitless after all. On a clear day, you can see as far as these eyes can see in open blue space. However, every speck in the distance was any other bird, whether one or a flock with more numbers than our group.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then a familiar sound thundered in the air, followed by a laser beam shooting upwards at three specks.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>TSEEEW!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;That’s a Dracon Beam!&gt; I yelled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>We picked up the pace, swooshing towards the three specks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Guys!&gt; Jake hollered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Oh man! If you two were here earlier,&gt; Marco uttered. &lt;They nearly burned off my tail feathers!&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;The Controllers got into a car. Black sedan. But then they saw us and fired at us,&gt; Tobias explained.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Shooting in broad daylight too. They’re desperate,&gt; I pointed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;We’re just birds. They can’t see us from this far,&gt; Jake said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Somehow they did,&gt; Ax added. &lt;Or they had already been alerted that we were coming. In whatever animal morph we would be.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;We have to be ahead of them and change to another animal. There’s no way we can get that device from a moving vehicle,&gt; Marco explained.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Right. Tobias, you tail them but stay hidden. Rachel, Ax. You two cut them at the next intersect. The rest of us will-&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He suddenly went quiet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Wait a minute. Where’s Rachel?&gt; </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When Jake asked that question, we had only realized we were short by one.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Did something happen to her?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;I’ll look for her,&gt; I told them. &lt;Keep going!&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The boys were off. I searched for her for about five minutes before I found her near the accident. Rachel was in bird morph like us but she glided pretty low in the air.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Rachel,&gt; I called her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For some reason, she didn’t hear me. That made no sense. It was thought-speech, not sound. Any one of us could hear it like it was telepathy. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Rachel!&gt; </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then her eagle head suddenly snapped up. &lt;W-What?&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Rachel. Are you alright?&gt; I floated closer to her. &lt;You drifted away from us.&gt; </span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Huh? I did?&gt; She glanced around, realizing it was just us in the air. &lt;Where’s everyone?&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I got worried. Was she dazed because of what happened to Elle?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;They’ve gone after the Controllers. Come on.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;R-Right!&gt; </span>
</p><p>
  <span>We steered back to the direction the guys headed and caught up minutes later.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;I found her. Where are the Yeerks?&gt; I asked Jake.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;We lost them.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Lost them?!&gt; Rachel shouted. &lt;How could you have lost them?&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;We followed them through a tunnel. Almost couldn’t see where we were going,&gt; Tobias explained.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;When we came out, there was traffic but…&gt; Marco sighed. &lt;There were more than just one black sedan in the middle of the highway… We couldn’t tell which one’s the Controllers’.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;It’s a Yeerk’s sedan!&gt; Rachel hollered. &lt;What good is raptor vision if you're not going to pay attention?&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Hey! How were we supposed to know that model is so popular nowadays?! And where were you?!&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Enough,&gt; Jake hollered sternly. &lt;Arguing isn’t going to help anything.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;What should we do?&gt; Tobias asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sighed. &lt;As much as I hate it, we’ll have to back off. C’mon.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;I’m going back to Elle,&gt; I told them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Cassie, there’s nothing else we can do-&gt; Jake pushed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But I headed back to the accident site anyway. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I didn’t know how much time had passed but certainly, an ambulance had to have arrived and taken Elle. I needed to have peace of mind. I could follow that ambulance to know which hospital she’d be taken to.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Where’s Elle?&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I searched. High and low. These raptor eyes could see everything, after all. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The scene was still the same but a little different. There was an ambulance, its back doors opened and its red light blaring. The driver sat on the pavement with his face so pale. Even the passersby had mixed expressions.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Elle’s body wasn’t there. Just her blood smeared across the road.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I did see the stretcher inside the vehicle. There were shoes. But the paramedics didn’t drive off like they should have by now. One closed the ambulance doors while the other tended to the driver.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;The paramedics are here! Why aren’t they bringing her to the hospital?&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They should have already taken her. But they were just wasting time!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Cassie,&gt; Marco called.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No! I didn’t want to hear it!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;She needs medical attention! Hurry up and drive her to the hospital!” I yelled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;She’s dead.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It happened again. Another death on my shoulders. And it hit me hard. It hit all of us. Different for each of us but it did hit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>We lost the Yeerks, that device and now, we lost a person.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Dead?&gt; Rachel gasped. &lt;Elle’s dead?&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Guys,&gt; Tobias then called out. Somewhere in the distance, we heard the sirens. Different from the ambulance. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Police,&gt; Jake said. &lt;Which means more Yeerks too.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;We cannot stay here any longer,&gt; Ax reminded us.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;I know... We should leave.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;I hate to point something out at a time like this but those Yeerks in the sedan?&gt; Marco started. &lt;They knew we were coming. They turned and fired at us. At me!&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;They came prepared,&gt; Ax said. &lt;Who knows what else they might have planned for us. They may even have backup.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Yeah. We split up. Then meet up at the barn later,&gt; Jake proposed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>None of us objected. So we went our own separate ways.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But I stopped halfway and found myself a spot in an alley.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Demorphed back into a human.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Because birds couldn't grieve...</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Elle was my classmate during English class. She was also the delivery girl too - her family owned a Chinese restaurant that my family orders from. So Elle helped out after school and on weekends. Now and then, she’d come to my home on her bike with the usual boxes. We’d make small chitchat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>We weren’t close to her but...she wasn’t a schoolmate I rarely talked to. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>So it still made me horrible. I wished I spent more time with her. Got to know her more. Anything. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Because she wasn’t going to be at school anymore. Or at my doorstep.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then I thought about her family. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Her family. </span>
  </em>
  <span>My dad knew her father.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Elle was gone. And she wouldn’t be coming back to them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This was too much.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I felt like I had to tell Elle’s family. But I couldn’t say “Elle got killed because of a race of parasitic aliens”. I couldn’t say anything without telling the whole truth and endangering us.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I don’t even know if her family were Controllers. That they could easily sweep it under the rug like it was nothing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>All of this was unfair.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>My eyes were watering. I barely even noticed someone riding a yellow bike and passing by the alleyway I was in. The rider didn’t notice me.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is that a car accident?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Looks like it. It’d be wise to avoid that way.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hm-hm.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was just a glimpse when I looked up. The black hair with a bandana. A parka jacket with badges sewn on the sleeves-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I froze.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No way...just no way.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I spun so fast my head felt numb. I thought I was imagining things.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was already gone around the corner.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A/N: I decided to upload the next chapter and I'm also deciding that for at least this chp and the next, they will be up sooner than expected because more or less, they're similar to how they were written in the previous versions but with some changes. I do want to point that although for old readers it might be familiar on some aspects, it's not entirely after Chapter Five. But whether or not you might take it as the same, I hope you'll still be engrossed in the story. A lot severely changed in making the plot be more simplified and still keep to the Animorphs vibe one way or another.</p><p>Anyhow enjoy this chapter and the next one coming tomorrow or Monday.</p><p>10/10/20 - initial upload.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. FIVE: MARCO</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>FIVE: MARCO</strong>
</p><hr/><p>
  <em> 4:49 P.M. </em>
</p><p>I was staring holes into my bedroom’s ceiling.</p><p>All of it felt unreal. Like it shouldn’t have happened. I couldn’t stop thinking about everything we saw.</p><p>Just who was that girl, where did she get that battery and why were the Yeerks after one of their own? And how much did she know? About the Yeerks and the invasion.</p><p>Once we all got back to the barn, our conversation over those questions didn’t go anywhere. It was also cut real short when Cassie never arrived. She was pretty shaken up at the accident scene.</p><p>So Jake was worried. <em> Obviously</em>. We all were, but being the leader too, he felt responsible. </p><p>Under normal circumstances, I'd let it go. This <em>was </em>Cassie we’re talking about. Just like any of us, she can handle things on her own. She’s a better morpher than us too. </p><p>So I wasn’t worried. She probably took a breather after everything. Cassie would be fine.</p><p><em> Yeah, Marco. Keep telling yourself that. </em> </p><p>In the end, Jake decided to go look for Erek to find more about this Yeerk battery. Tobias and Ax went to look for Cassie while me and Rachel headed home for dinner. The Chee would be able to find something about that device.</p><p>But the girl… I don’t know. She died before we could get any answers. It didn’t help that she stumbled into us. Any other kid in this city and she came to us.</p><p>Did she also know our secret? And how much?</p><p>It wasn’t a comforting thought.</p><p>It was strange how almost twenty minutes ago, I saw someone die and I was trying to forget it. Someone my age. Was I really that terrible? It made me feel a little guilty.</p><p>Hmph. Guilty. I wasn’t the one who killed her. Why should I feel guilty?</p><p>
  <em> Ding-dong! </em>
</p><p>“Marco! Could you get that for me?” I heard Dad holler.</p><p>I sighed with relief. I desperately needed a distraction.</p><p>“Got it!” I yelled, leaving for the front door. </p><p>“Money’s on the counter. Get the receipt too,” he added.</p><p>“I got it, I got it.” I wasn’t a kid anymore.</p><p>That kid in me was gone a year ago.</p><p>“And remember. You’re defending yourself tonight.”</p><p>“Fin-” I stopped. </p><p>Wait, what?</p><p>I trailed to the bathroom, where he was. There was heavy cologne in the air.</p><p>“What do you mean 'defending myself'?”</p><p>He looked at me like I had one eye. “Don’t you remember? I’m meeting your Math teacher tonight.”</p><p>Meeting? Tonight?</p><p>My math teacher? <em> Ms Robbinette? </em></p><p>“You didn’t tell me that.”</p><p>“Yes, I did. Last night.” He adjusted his tie neatly.</p><p>When? I came back from school and he said nothing like that. After dinner, I went off to do recon with Rachel. You know, to double-check on some stuff. Make sure there wasn't any Yeerk activity to ruin our beach day.</p><p>“Are you sure, Dad?” I asked carefully. Didn’t want to be grounded if he found out I was out past my bedtime.</p><p>“Of course, I’m sure. That’s why I got takeout for you.”</p><p>I tried to remember. But with what just happened, I guessed it didn’t click on me.</p><p>“What exactly is this about? Am I in trouble?”</p><p>“No, no. She just wants to discuss how you’ve been doing so far.”</p><p>I didn’t like the sound of that. It sounded fake to me.</p><p>But then again, I was getting mostly Cs in class.</p><p>“But she’s my math teacher. Not my homeroom teacher.” I looked at Dad again. Clean shirt and his nice shoes. “And why the fancy getup?”</p><p>“What? I don’t want to be a bad example to your teachers, do I?” he said. He frowned at his tie and undid it.</p><p>“Well, no. But-”</p><p>
  <em> Ding-dong! </em>
</p><p>“That must be Mr Liang’s grandniece.” Liang? Who’s Mr Liang? “Can you get that?”</p><p>No. Explain to me what’s going on, I wanted to ask that. This looked too much like a-</p><p>
  <em> Ding-dong! </em>
</p><p>Aaaaah, fine! The faster I’d get rid of this person, the faster I could talk to Dad. I headed to the front door. </p><p>“Hello, Yan Fú Wok delivery. Is your father in?” the delivery girl said, already picking up my dinner from her bike’s basket.</p><p>“Yeah, he’s-”</p><p>I froze. </p><p>I recognized that face.</p><p>It couldn’t be… I saw her <em> die! </em></p><p>Standing in front of me was the Asian-American girl with medium black hair. </p><p>Alive. </p><p>Breathing. </p><p>Smiling. </p><p>Then she frowned at me.</p><p>“Oh. It's you again,” the girl named Elle grumbled.</p><p>What.</p><p>How.</p><p>When.</p><p>
  <em> Why?! </em>
</p><p>The girl looked at me with concern. Cautiously, she waved a hand in front of my face. “Hello?”</p><p>“...AHHHHHHHHH!!!”</p><p>I couldn’t help it.</p><p>“AHH! What?!” She jumped away. “What did I do?!” </p><p>“Marco?! What’s wrong?!” Dad yelled from behind, rushing to me with a plunger. The girl in front of me hunched up the bag over her like a shield at the sight of my ‘rescuer’.</p><p>“I didn't do anything!”</p><p>“What happened here? Are you alright?!”</p><p>How was any normal person supposed to react? How was I supposed to stay calm?! <em> She was dead! </em></p><p>I swallowed. Keep cool, Marco! Think of an excuse! Anything!</p><p>“Ahahaha,” I gave out a nervous laugh. “S-Sorry. There was a...spider. On you.”</p><p>Reaaal smooth. </p><p>She searched meekly for the imaginary creepy crawler. “Where-?”</p><p>“It’s eh, gone. Ran away.”</p><p>“I didn’t know you were arachnophobic,” Dad uttered.</p><p>Well, I suppose the first time I morphed into a spider made it worse for me.</p><p>“Oh, you know. Can’t handle those legs.” I shrugged.</p><p>“Well, I have to agree with you on that.” He turned to the girl. Who was still holding the bag up like a shield.</p><p>“Am I in trouble, sir?”</p><p>That was when Dad realized he was holding the plunger like a weapon. “Ah. No, no. Sorry.” He lowered it down and took the cash from me. “Here’s the money. Send my thanks to your old uncle.”</p><p>She gave a cheap smile and the bag of food. “I’ll do that. Enjoy the meal.”</p><p>Dad returned back inside. Then she locked her eyes on me. </p><p>Oh uh.</p><p>“Hey.” The girl started off cautiously. “Are you ok?”</p><p>Uh… Well, I was terrified because <b> <em>a dead girl</em> </b> was standing at my porch. But other than that...yeah, peachy.</p><p>No, I wasn’t! </p><p>She was real, alright. Fresh as a daisy! There wasn’t a single drop of blood on her. As a matter of fact, it looked like she had gotten new clothes - a new parka, new shoes, leggings and a long shirt. Like she walked away from the accident and changed out of her bloodsoaked clothes. </p><p>Was she a zombie? As far as I could tell, she looked completely uninjured. Except for her forehead. She had a bandage there. </p><p>It was so unsettling! Didn’t her head hit the Volks <em>and </em>the road?!</p><p>And why was she acting like nothing happened to her?! How was she even alive?! </p><p>Was the stress of this war getting to me? Am I turning into a nutcase now?</p><p>“Hellllllooo!” She waved again, frowning angrily. “Is anyone in there?”</p><p>“Oh! Y-Yeah.” My voice was shaky. “I’m swell! Swell!”</p><p>“You don’t sound swell.”</p><p>
  <em> Keep it together, Marco. </em>
</p><p>“Um… Do you remember what happened earlier?” I asked.</p><p>“You mean at the restaurant, right? I wanted to ask you that.”</p><p>I blinked. “I’m sorry?”</p><p>“Don’t you remember? It was yesterday. Around 3.”</p><p>All of this wasn't registering for me. But I would remember a cute-looking girl. Who wasn't dead.</p><p>"Sorry. You must be mistaken. I was still at school."</p><p>"No. You snuck at the back. In tights."</p><p>I glowered. Ok, she was the insane one here. We saw her an hour ago. Near the construction site. <em> Later run over by a car! </em></p><p>This was all too much to take in. What made things worse was that she was somewhere connected with the Yeerks. Whatever that connection was, she was a Controller regardless.</p><p>Right at my doorstep too. That thought got me tense. If that was the case, then my dad was in danger.</p><p>One wrong move and this Controller would call her friends. It’d be the end of the Animorphs as we know it. The fate of humanity out the window, and the death of my dad and me right in this house.</p><p>No. The worst thing on my mind was the last part.</p><p>All of a sudden, she stepped closer. Close enough for me to see her pretty whale-shaped eyes. </p><p>“What were you trying to tell me back then?” she pushed. “You looked upset.”</p><p>“I-I was?”</p><p>“You kept saying things that didn't make sense. Something about a plant that exploded?”</p><p>Questions? What questions? And what exploding plant?</p><p>“Sorry. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”</p><p>She looked even more confused than me. I could relate!</p><p>“But I saw you yesterday…” The ‘dead’ girl fiddled with her hands together before looking at them for some reason. She then gave a defeated sigh. “Never mind. Forget I said anything-”</p><p>“Hey.” I nearly jumped when she turned at me. “Were you...at the construction site today? Near the mall.”</p><p>“That abandoned place...? I passed by this morning,” she replied. “But that route’s pretty out of the way for deliveries. And Kong Kong would be furious with me.”</p><p>“Kong Kong?”</p><p>“My great uncle,” she explained. “He’s the restaurant’s owner.”</p><p>I took a moment to digest what she said. That couldn’t be right. She was at the site in the afternoon. But her reply was so, well, <em> normal</em>.</p><p>Would a Yeerk lie about being at the site? What would she gain from that?</p><p>I still wasn’t convinced.</p><p>“Do you know who I am?” I asked. “Before today.”</p><p>“You’re our customer’s son. That’s about it,” she said sincerely.</p><p>“And my name?”</p><p>“I dunno. Mark?”</p><p>“Actually, it’s Marco.”</p><p>She shrugged. <em> Hey! Don’t give me that! It’s a very pleasant-sounding name! </em> </p><p>“Ok, how about my friends?”</p><p>She hunched down an eyebrow and spoke oddly. “Do you even have friends with the kind of attitude you have?”</p><p>I stopped myself from laughing sarcastically. Oh, whether she was or wasn’t a Controller, she sure knew how to rebuke back.</p><p>She then looked apologetic. “Sorry. That was uncalled for.”</p><p>I stared at her. Hard. Yeah, I know. I was making a fool out of myself.</p><p>“You absolutely don’t know me?”</p><p>“Ok. You're creeping me out. I’ve only seen you at school. But this is the second time I’m talking to you in person.”</p><p>I knew how Yeerks were. They could easily hide everything right under your nose. Even lie to your face. Maybe that ‘first time’ she was talking about was a lie too. </p><p>“Are you sure you weren’t at the construction site?”</p><p>“Yes. What are you, my dad?” she snapped, sounding annoyed. “I’ve been doing deliveries all day.”</p><p>“You’re not gonna punch me, are you?”</p><p>She looked at me bewildered. “Why would I do that?”</p><p>
  <em> Well, you said so! </em>
</p><p>What was going on? Did that accident give her short-term memory loss or something? She had to know, right?</p><p>“Ok. You were strange yesterday and you still are now. Answer me this, are <em>you </em>alright?” she demanded again.</p><p>She was on to me. I’ve pushed too many questions that were going to put me six feet under.</p><p>I swallowed. Think carefully.</p><p>She <em> was </em> a girl. A beautiful one too. That bandana over her hair made her real cute.</p><p>“Ok, you caught me.” I forced a guilty smile. “I may be stalling for you to stay just a little longer.”</p><p>“Ahhh... Yeah, not interested,” she said quickly with a stiff smirk.</p><p>Ouch. Shutdown.</p><p>She folded her arms. “Pulling that stunt yesterday on me and now trying to pull a move on me. You're really shameless."</p><p>I really wanted to say, “Whoever you saw wasn’t me. You’re the one hallucinating!”. But I didn’t.</p><p>“I’m not pulling anything! Is it so wrong that I want to get to know you a bit better?”</p><p>“Yeaaah. If you want to go out with a girl, stop it with the sweet talk. Girls like honesty, not cheap words,” she said tartly.</p><p>Omph. Thank goodness Rachel wasn’t here to hear all that.</p><p>“Look. Are we done? I got work to go back to,” she said.</p><p>“Wait.”</p><p>She sighed irritatedly. “What is it?”</p><p>“You said you’ve seen me at school.” I really didn’t like the idea that a Controller was looking at me... If she was one. “I’ve never seen you before.”</p><p>“I’m from <em>your </em>school too. We’re in different grades,” she explained, looking upset. </p><p>She was? I gave another hard look at her. I’d remember a cute face like hers-</p><p>“Ooooh. You’re Debbie Darko. From photography club.”</p><p>She pouted. With bug-wide angry eyes.</p><p>Oops.</p><p>“Wait… Is that what everyone calls me at school?!”</p><p>“Not...really?” I only heard that name from other classmates. About some girl who cooped herself up in the darkroom.</p><p>“What’s that supposed to mean?!”</p><p>
  <em> Why did you do that, Marco? You want her to stay longer?! </em>
</p><p>“Debbie’s not even my real name,” she grumbled to herself. She lightly patted her right hand. </p><p>I still didn’t get it. She was keeping up the whole facade that she didn’t know me. Or she really had some selective amnesia. But one thing was clear, I had to know what we were dealing with.</p><p>“Ok. What’s your name then?” </p><p>Her frown slanted even more to the right. “I told you. I’m not-”</p><p>“No, no. Not like that! It’s not Debbie, right?” I explained.</p><p>“No… My name is Elle,” she said hesitantly. </p><p>I smiled. A fake one, of course. “Alright, Elle. Thanks for the food.”</p><p>“Enjoy.” Then ‘Zombie Elle’ rode off on her yellow bike. I kept my eye on her until she disappeared around the corner of the street.</p><p>I closed the door. Just to be sure. I wasn’t out of the clear yet-</p><p>
  <em> Ding-dong! </em>
</p><p>My heart dropped.</p><p>Wait! Did she figure it out who I was? Or did she come for my brain?!</p><p>“Can you get that, Marco?”</p><p>“Y-Yeah, sure!” I answered my dad, desperately looking for a solution.</p><p>I spotted the plunger Dad left behind.</p><p>Fine. If that was what the Yeerks or zombie or whatever she was wanted, I was taking her down with me!</p><p>I grabbed it tight and threw open the door, raised up the plunger-</p><p>“Marco! What are you doing?!”</p><p>I stopped myself. </p><p>“Cassie?” She was on my porch. I stared at the plunger in my hand and quickly put it down. “Where have you been? Everyone’s been looking for you-”</p><p>“Never mind that! You saw her, right? You saw Elle.”</p><p>That one sentence was all it took to bring me back to Earth. If Cassie saw her too, then I wasn’t dreaming.</p><p>“She’s alive! She’s really alive!” she blurted with tears.</p><p>In the end, I could only muster one sentence.</p><p>“What on Earth is going on?”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A/N: Honestly one of my favorite chapters I've worked on and from the original but now twice better than before. XD Then again, any Marco chapter is fun to work on.<br/>Moreover, here's our introduction of Elle, my OC, with another OC hidden somewhere. Heh. I hope you readers will like both of them further down the line. Especially if Marco keeps thinking Elle's a zombie in a world aliens invade Earth. lol</p><p>Eh, he witnessed a kid die. Give him some slap for letting his imagination get the better of him.</p><p>11/10/20 - Initial upload. Added line.<br/>25/10/20 - Minor edits and name correction.<br/>9/1/21 - Changed time setting in paragraphs.<br/>16/4/21 - Changed time setting in paragraphs.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. SIX: TOBIAS</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>SIX: TOBIAS</strong>
</p><hr/><p>
  <em>
    <span>5:19 P.M.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ok. We’re here,” Jake said. “What’s so important we had to come back to the barn?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I wished I knew myself. I found Cassie at Marco’s place some time ago and out of nowhere, she told me to get the others. Both of them actually. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When I asked why, all Marco said was “It’s very important. So go get them. Pronto! What are you waiting for?! Go Bird-Boy! <em>GO!</em>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I don’t think I have ever seen Marco this bad. Ever.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ok, Marco can be borderline paranoid,” Rachel said after I explained that to Jake, Rachel and Ax. “But not <em>that</em> paranoid.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Where are they now?&gt; Ax asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;I don’t know. They just flew off without telling me where they were heading,&gt; I replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jake narrowed his eyes - his sense of being a leader was upfront as usual but with some concern present. It was very unlike those two.</span>
  <em>
    <span> Especially those two</span>
  </em>
  <span>. “This day couldn’t get any more confusing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Things have gotten exceedingly unclear since that human approached us. Were you able to find the Chee?&gt; </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, that’s another hurdle altogether. I went to see Erek’s dad but he hasn’t seen Erek all morning.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;That is a little unlike him,&gt; I said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jake plopped his head against a beam with a tired look. “You know… I really was hoping today would just be a normal day. Just relax by the beach without a care in the world.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Has there ever been a normal day for us?&gt; I jested. I noticed Rachel was quiet. &lt;Rachel?&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hm?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Are you okay?&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The entire time we’ve been waiting, Rachel sat on a bale of hay, staring at the floor. It was easy to tell something was on her mind.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m ok,” she replied, a bit too quickly. “...I just can’t stop thinking.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;About the accident?&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;It was beyond anyone’s control,&gt; Ax reminded us. &lt;We have gone through many losses that we couldn’t stop. Lamenting will not change anything.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah… I know. I know...” Rachel stared back to the floor. I know she was affected by the accident like the rest of us but I didn’t think it’d affected her that badly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jake groaned out of frustration. “That’s it. Tobias, can you go find them again?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;No need. I see them outside,&gt; I told the others. &lt;Uh...&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was something from a chase scene in a Nickelodeon sitcom. Marco and Cassie were still finishing up their demorphing but already, they ran to the barn.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jake!” Marco was the first to reach the barn. Completely out of breath. “Dude...! It’s...insane!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cassie made one peek out before closing the doors. Why? I was here as their lookout. I didn’t see anyone following them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You guys ok?” Jake asked. “You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ghost,” Marco droned. But not in his usual way. In fact, he looked very confused. “Oh. You have </span>
  <em>
    <span>no idea</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You won’t believe what we saw,” Cassie exclaimed. “I’m still in shock.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jake,” Rachel started. “Can you do something about this? I think Marco’s craziness has rubbed off on Cassie.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s gotten into you two?” Jake asked. “You’re jumpier than usual.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The rest of us agreed. Even alarming that the ones with the most reasoning in our group were having a freakout in front of us. They were basically rambling that we couldn’t digest anything they said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ok. Before you all go “we were seeing things”, know that we’re telling the truth. Cassie saw her. I saw her too. So we’re both not losing our minds.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who are you talking about?” Jake asked again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Marco glanced at Cassie, who nodded at him - having a look that said it was now or never. They then burst it out together. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Elle’s alive!” and “That girl’s alive!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Those exact words didn’t sit on us for a few seconds. The more we thought about it, the more we didn’t believe it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait. What?” Jake exclaimed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The girl we saw at the construction site? She’s alive,” Marco said again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;So...she survived the car crash,&gt; I said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rachel was relieved hearing that. “Thank goodness. She’s alright.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Which means we can get our answers from her,” Jake pointed and turned back to our two jumpy friends. “Did you find out which hospital they took her to?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No. No. You really, </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>don’t understand,” Marco uttered. “She didn’t go to any hospital. She came straight to my place.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If this is a joke, I don’t get the punchline,” Rachel snapped.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not,” Cassie defended. “Right after the accident, she was doing her usual delivery.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Delivery?&gt; I repeated.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes. She works as a delivery girl. Anyway, she went to Marco’s house.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. </span>
  <em>
    <span>My house</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Marco snapped, trying to bring us to the gravity of the news. “Debbie Darko came to my house to give me my takeout for dinner.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Debbie Darko?” It was the first time Rachel and even Cassie - from the look on their faces - had heard that name. “Ok, Marco. That’s kinda uncalled for. She has a name.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t make that name,” Marco defended. “That’s not the point here! This girl is alive. And she claims she wasn’t at the site.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She wasn’t?” Jake said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. Doesn’t help that she has this big bandage on her forehead. That’s way too convenient after what happened to her.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Wait a minute,&gt; I started. &lt;So, what? This is another Elle?&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Highly improbable,&gt; Ax counterattacked. &lt;That would imply it’s an Andalite. And I doubt this could have something to do with Visser Three.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeeeah. The Yeerks chasing him for stealing a device in a human form?” Rachel said. “That sounds like a very elaborate way. With no reason why he would have done it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Precisely. Also, I do not need to say this but I was with you as well. So it is not someone with morphing powers.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We weren’t implying it was you, Ax,” Jake explained.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;My apology, Prince Jake, for the ‘snappy remark’. There is probably a more logical answer to this enigma.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. And I know what it is. She’s a zombie.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A what?” Rachel exclaimed at Marco’s outburst.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A zombie. There’s no other explanation.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not helping yourself, Marco.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yeah, Marco was alone on this one. Cassie didn’t quite agree with what he said. Nobody agreed with him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I’ve read horror books about the undead before. Pet Sematary by Stephen King is one good example. But the idea that someone is a zombie was already ridiculous. We have an invasion of parasitic slugs taking over the world, for goodness’s sake.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But I did think it was a little scary. I could imagine that Asian-American girl with glassy eyes and limbs contorted in horrible angles. She drags herself away from the accident, searching for human brains to feast on. And that was ours.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yikes. Gave my feathers a ruffle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really, man?” Jake said. “That’s like in games and movies. You can’t honestly think she’s a real-life zombie.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright. How do you explain her walking from the accident and delivering takeout to my house like it was nothing?” Marco exclaimed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well…” Jake tried to think of something. But he looked defeated and grumbled, “I really don’t want a second invasion on top of the first.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Look. It’s simple,” Rachel stepped in. “We thought she died but she didn’t.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Seriously?” Marco uttered. “I saw exactly what I saw.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What you </span>
  <em>
    <span>thought </span>
  </em>
  <span>you saw. We were in the middle of a Yeerk chase. We had our priorities all over the place. Elle probably came out with just a bump. That’s it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But...we saw the accident,” Cassie pushed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I agreed with Rachel on that one detail but I couldn’t deny what I saw. Cassie had seen her fair shares of injuries - from the animals she tended in the barn to those on ours whenever we were in battle. She knew just how physical trauma should be and what the cause was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The impact that girl had on the car and the road… We’ve barely gotten out of danger by the hair of our teeth with broken bones and hanging intestines. But could a human really just walk off from a car crash like that?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A bump. That wasn’t a bump,” Marco exclaimed. “Or are you saying the Yeerks somehow patched her up and let her off on her merry way?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I mean...” Rachel tried to think of something. An elaborate cover-up like that? It was clear she found that hard to believe. “I dunno! I got nothing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait… You don’t think a Yeerk can control a dead body, do you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Marco. There’s no such thing as zombies. Elle didn’t die in that accident,” she continued irately.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Rachel is correct,&gt; Ax said. &lt;A</span>
  <span> Yeerk needs a functioning and active brain for them to have complete control. It cannot control the dead, or a vegetable host for that matter.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We don’t know if she was-” Cassie stopped herself. “Is a Controller.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Or maybe she’s a freed Controller?&gt; I suggested. &lt;She somehow escaped but now she’s back with a Yeerk in her head.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are we sure she has anything to do with The Sharing?” she continued. “The Yeerks didn’t care about her at the accident. They wanted that device.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Of course they wouldn’t care about her. They got one problem solved without having to lift a finger.” Marco got a glance from Cassie for the insensitive remark. “It’s the Yeerks. They’re the bad guys,” he defended himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think what Cassie’s saying is why make her a Controller again after everything?” Jake added. “They could have just left her for dead. But they’re making an effort to keep her around?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;It’s meaningless. There are too many holes in that line of logic,&gt; Ax said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Makes you want to get the answers straight from the horse’s mouth,” Marco grumbled. “But we all know that’s not possible.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ok, ok…” Jake tried to focus, taking in and out one deep breath. “We might as well investigate the root of the problem. Where’s Elle right now?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She’s at her family restaurant. Yan </span>
  <span>Fú Wok.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yan </span>
  <span>Fú Wok?” Jake had a grim look on his face. “My family orders from there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Same with my family,” Rachel added. “It’s actually how Cassie and I know Elle from. She does the deliveries herself.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So she delivers to mine, yours, Cassie’s and Marco’s… I don’t like the sound of that,” he offered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why?” Cassie asked. “We’ve all ordered from the same restaurant. That’s not something strange.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe not. But it might explain something else. She came to us at the site today. All six of us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And you think she figured our secret out just because she’s our delivery girl?” Marco asked. “That’s…”  He started off as if he found that idea more outrageous than his zombie theory. Until it slowly hit him. “Actually possible.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You said she claims she wasn’t at the site. Could she be acting? Did she say something out of the ordinary?” Jake then asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Marco thought about it more. “I asked her questions. Nothing about us... She told me she passed it this morning and that she doesn’t use the route there for her deliveries.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Doesn’t mean she couldn’t have gone there this afternoon. She might still be pretending.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;In other words, this Yeerk survived the accident and is waiting for the right moment to catch us when we least expect it,&gt; Ax stated.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ax-man. I think that moment left my doorstep like thirty minutes ago. More importantly, would a Yeerk still come after us after all that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know. There’s a lot of unanswered questions here. But it’s something we can’t rule out,” Jake explained.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t like the sound of Elle being a Controller, though. She’s always this bubbly person but,” Rachel said. “You could be right about that being a possibility.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Well. One thing is for sure,&gt; I said to them. &lt;Looks like we’re heading to Yan </span>
  <span>Fú Wok </span>
  <span>then.&gt;</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A/N: Would it be interesting to have like say a Walking Dead/Animorphs crossover? Or a crossover with any zombie-related story that would just sell Marco's line of "She's a zombie!"? XD I don't think I can write such a crossover myself because of how much thought and brainstorm has to go but if anyone tries, greatest kudos and big brain to you, writer. <br/>Anyhow, here we are, at the edge of the rabbit's hole. It's gonna be one dozy drop once these kids take the plunge. </p><p>I wanna drop a thank you to the readers who are giving this fic a chance and I'm also grateful to hear how engrossed the start is. Makes me happy because I was afraid that even after a massive change in the plot, it might still confuse the readers like previous versions and make them lose interest completely. With how simplified the plot's being handled, I am more confident that I'm on the right track with the direction. Granted, there may be one or two confusing things but I assure you, there's a purpose behind them and it will be explained 'in another time'. ;) </p><p>15/10/20 - Initial upload. Fixed lines.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. SEVEN: JAKE</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>SEVEN: JAKE</strong>
</p><hr/><p>
  <em>
    <span>5:36 P.M.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Welcome to the Quarter, everyone,&gt; Marco declared once we flew over to the area.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Quarter is a hodge-lodge of Asian cultures in this part of the city - Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Korean, and some Indian and Arab. It’s not big enough to be a Chinatown but close enough to stand out differently from the rest of the city.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;What is this ‘Quarter’?&gt; Ax asked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;It's our version of a Chinatown,&gt; Rachel explained.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;What does that mean?&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Right. We’ve never taken you to that part of this city before,&gt; I said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;A Chinatown is its own subzone for Chinese people. The Quarter, however, is a remnant of culturalism,&gt; Marco answered. &lt;New immigrants that didn't speak English were basically forced to live outside town. Later, the city grew to the point that it absorbed the old district. What we have here is that. The Quarter.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ax didn’t quite get the whole definition. But he is an Andalite. To us, Andalites didn’t really have a vast amount of differences, unlike humans. And it’s not just physical appearances, it’s also cultures. We are all different across the globe.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;There it is,&gt; Tobias said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The restaurant was a narrow two-storey building, smaller than the other buildings it was cramped between. What made it stand up was the large golden Chinese characters with a sparrow symbol as its logo. I couldn’t read those characters but there was the English translation below the big text.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yan </span>
  <span>Fú Wok.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Are you sure this is a good idea?&gt; I asked Cassie. &lt;If Elle is alive, won’t she recognize us?&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;She might pretend she never met us. We did try to take her down,&gt; Rachel said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;It would also mean she won’t be willing to explain how she got that device. Or why the Yeerks were after her,&gt; Ax added.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Y’know, that’s a good point,&gt; she then continued. &lt;The Yeerks were after her until they got the device. If she isn’t a Controller and she lived after that accident, they would see this just as suspicious as we do.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Then her life could be in danger,&gt; Tobias said. &lt;It could be a matter of time then.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Oh no,&gt; Marco uttered. &lt;We are not doing that again. We’ve already learned just how bad it all went last time we tried to save a kid from the Yeerks.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;We also don’t know what’s her connection with them.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Too many “we don’t know”s. It was giving me a headache. And I wasn’t convinced with some of our assumptions. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;One step at a time. One step at a time,&gt; I said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;It would be a lot easier if we just have Elle out somewhere alone and get the answers out of her,&gt; Rachel offered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Bigger risk than what we’re gonna do.&gt; I then said to Cassie, &lt;Are you sure about this? Walking right into the restaurant?&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;We have nothing that says she’s dangerous or in danger,&gt; she said. &lt;But here’s the thing, I agree with Marco.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That was a first, coming from Cassie. She and Marco almost always clash heads.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Rachel and I know Elle enough the kind of person she is. She’s not like David. But how we handled things with him was what got us into trouble in the first place,&gt; Cassie explained. &lt;So we can’t do the same thing we did before. We can keep an eye on her until something happens again that’s beyond our control. Or we go up to her and ask. Discreetly.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>David.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even if it was nearly a month passed, the memories still came rolling back to us. All too fresh on our wounds.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>We went through a horrendous matter almost a month ago because of one kid named David. He lost everything and we took him in, making him the seventh Animorph. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then he backstabbed us. He was ready to throw us into the jaws of the Yeerks, including all of humanity. He almost won.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now we had another kid involved in this Yeerk invasion. This time with a Yeerk device. There were too many similarities between the two incidents. I really wondered if the Ellimist and Crayak were playing some new game on us.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;And what if she turns out to be another David?&gt; I asked her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She didn’t reply right away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I didn’t know enough about this Elle girl. I did know about the nickname Marco said: Debbie Darko, a girl who spent her afternoons in the darkroom at school. It sorta grew into a bit of a ghost story.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But I didn’t know anything past that. She might not be the person the girls knew. David only showed his true colors later...</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;I dunno… But it’s a risk we should take,&gt; Cassie said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I heaved a sigh. It’s never a dull moment with what we do. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Alright. Here’s the drill. Marco and Tobias, you’re our eyes. Like always.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Roger that,&gt; Marco droned. With this ‘Elle’ having already seen him at his house, she would be suspicious of why one of her customers was at her business after ordering takeout.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Rachel and I will go in. We act as two kids grabbing takeout for our families,&gt; I explained. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;I want to in too.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I glanced at Cassie. If we were humans right now instead of birds, I knew what her expression would be. &lt;Cassie. Having three is too risky.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Then let me take Rachel’s place.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Cassie-&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;I need to see it for myself,&gt; she cut me short. &lt;She somehow survived that accident. That kind of trauma she had...chances like that for anyone are just too slim.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I could only imagine. What Cassie and Marco said? It sounded unbelievable, even when we have aliens and morphing powers. They’re not liars - well, Marco can stretch things for a joke but not that far. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Moreso, I would be lying to myself if I said that the accident didn’t affect Cassie. It wasn’t like a Controller or an innocent human who got dragged into the battlefield. All of this happened out of nowhere. An accident. Something none of us could stop from happening unless you could, I dunno, reverse time or had the ability to predict the future.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Alright,&gt; I said. &lt;But the moment Yeerks are around, we bail. No stopping for anyone.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;I know,&gt; she said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Ax. Rachel. You’re our backup inside the building. Anything happens, you know what to do.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Got it.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Affirmative, Prince Jake.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;And Ax.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Yes, Prince Jake?&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;I swear to everything, you better behave in there.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;An Andalite is always in control, Prince Jake.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>If I was human, I’d be cocking up an eyebrow at just how blatant that was from him. &lt;Oh, really? Were you 'in control' at the McDonald's?&gt;</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>&lt;Or the Dairy Queen,&gt; Cassie added.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>&lt;Or the food court,&gt; Rachel chimed.</span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>
    <br/>
  </span>
  <span>&lt;And how many Cinnabons banned you? Three?&gt; I pointed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;While I do not deny I had some ‘lack of control’ in those establishments, I have grown aware of the customs during my time on this planet,&gt; Ax stated sprucely. &lt;I will not jeopardize us for the sake of my pleasure.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Yeah. You sure sending him in is a good idea?&gt; Marco asked me. &lt;No offense, Ax-man. But I don’t trust you around food.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;I do not understand why you have that level of doubt towards me.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Because you’re you.&gt; I said. &lt;Let’s go.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>We split up, with Cassie and I taking to an alleyway across the street and demorphing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now the next step. Acting normal. We’ve never gone to this part of the city so we were unprepared and in the open this time.  If it were elsewhere, we made ourselves ready for anything. Fly into an area with just our morphing clothes and find our hiding spots that have a change of clothes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>So we just improvised a little with what we could find around. Like clothes hanging out to dry or shoes left outside apartment doors.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once we both were ready, we just walked casually to the restaurant. </span>
  
</p><p>
  <span>Kinda hard to act normal. Not because it's a mission. The Quarter was such a busy place that we both really stuck out like sore thumbs. It wasn’t like the mall where we could blend in. You could call us tourists in this area.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So it was dangerous. That’s why I volunteered to do it. I chose Rachel because, well, it wouldn’t be that suspicious. We’re cousins and we’re buying food. And if Elle did recognize us, then I knew Rachel would handle things. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>That wasn’t the only reason, by the way. Why did I choose myself to do this? It was more to confirm it for myself. That this girl was alive. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But when Cassie jumped in to join me...I was worried. I knew why she did that. But I didn’t stop her either. Her reason was the same as mine.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Ding!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Immediately, the rush of rich smells hit my nose. It’s been...well, I don’t think I’ve ever gone to a restaurant like </span>
  <span>Yan </span>
  <span>Fú Wok. It was like we left America and ended up somewhere in Asia. It wasn't rush hour yet so it wasn’t crowded inside. Oriental decorations and old photos of another country decorated the worn-colored walls. The place was cramped with round chairs and tables. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Welcome to Yan </span>
  <span>Fú Wok! Give me a sec,” a </span>
  <span>Mediterranean-sounding voice called out from the back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was my first time visiting the restaurant. I only knew the place from the brochure on my fridge.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wow,” I gasped.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“First time?” Cassie asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. It’s very...traditional,” I said before noticing a cat statue at the counter. </span>
  <span>I’ve seen it on the Internet before. It was a calico cat statue, standing on its hindlegs and holding up its one paw, with large painted eyes gleaming at us. You know, those special charms that brought good luck to Japanese stores. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;We’re in,&gt; I heard Rachel thought-speak. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I forced myself not to look about. Ax and Rachel had to be something small, easy to crawl in without anyone noticing. Like cockroaches. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry to keep you waiting,” the voice said again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A tall tan-skinned girl with black hair and black eyes came to us. Around the same age as Tom. At first, I thought she was another customer but she had an apron over her lean body, notepad and pen in hands. So, a waitress at the restaurant. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, table for two?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Actually, uh,” Cassie started off warily. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hanan,” she introduced herself. “What can I do for you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hanan. Is Elle...in today?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I gave her a disapproving glance. It </span>
  <em>
    <span>was </span>
  </em>
  <span>a risky thing she just did. What if Elle wasn’t here? What if everyone in the restaurant already knew about the accident?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Elle? She came in half an hour ago.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I looked at the tall girl like she had grown a third eye. Cassie...I guess at this point, she was used to it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Elle,” Hanan called out. “Some friends are here to see you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Friends? Coming.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>We stiffened up when we heard that voice. Even more when she came from the kitchen and to the reception, wiping her hands with a wet towel.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>We couldn’t believe it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I couldn’t believe it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, Cassie. What brings you here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I replayed that accident in my head. Over and over again. It was...too hard to grasp it once I saw her up close and personal. That after the car crash, she walked away scot-free. Marco was right - the bandage’s placement on her forehead was so uncanny.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Asian-American girl just smiled at us. She was...fine. Alive. And it was...honestly creepy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So I couldn’t help but say, “no way.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” Elle asked. “Something on my face?”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A/N: Next chapter up and more original than its previous version. I admit, my previous versions felt a bit out of place to fit with the flow of the story. With the major changes and edit in what the Animorphs' motives would become, this chapter actually fitted altogether - it gave them a legit reason to visit a place they presumed has a Controller and wouldn't go forward with it if it meant endangering them. </p><p>Next chapter is gonna be an enjoyable one to show. For the humorous parts at least. :) And yes, the cute parts too.</p><p>Additionally, I'm open to constructive criticism in the writing. I'm no way the best writer and I've grown most of my life writing in UK writing so I've been told few times by my USA friends of how off-putting my phrases are, especially switching between USA and UK writing (and most of all, growing up in Singapore so despite researching a lot, I do see me writing a mush of things and not an American book writing. I think I get my Singlish snaking in at times too :U ). So let me know anything wrong and I'll do my best to edit.</p><p>19/10/20 - Initial upload.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. EIGHT: AX</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>EIGHT: AX</strong>
</p><hr/><p>
  <em> 5:46 P.M. </em>
</p><p>Our grasp of information was limited. </p><p>A cockroach's eyes were useless at any kind of distance. You can only make out shapes unless they were very close to your peripheral vision. But this morph was ideal for recon. It was a simple creep in and out without detection, so long as a human did not see us in the open.</p><p>I had suggested to Rachel that we would slip in as cockroaches. She was uncertain at first to use this morph in the restaurant. The argument was that humans despise this particular type of insect. Even my human friends loathed their first time morphing into this animal. </p><p>However, she didn’t have any other proposals so we went with the original plan.</p><p>From where we hid, I could only make out a small reception area for the restaurant - where Prince Jake, Cassie and the tall female human stood. There were foggy forms far in the back, making me unsure of the number of humans inside the restaurant.  </p><p>Tobias and Marco could only rely on what they could see outside the restaurant. Prince Jake and Cassie were in their human forms, therefore, they couldn’t thought-speak to us. So we were in the dark. </p><p>“Is something wrong?” Elle asked, noticing the stiff silence. </p><p>“No. No,” Prince Jake said. “Everything’s fine. Right, Cassie?”</p><p>“Y-Yeah. Yeah. Why would anything not be fine? ”</p><p>&lt;Cassie…&gt; Rachel softly spoke. &lt;Hold it together.&gt;</p><p>We could imagine how difficult Cassie was handling the news about this one human. One doesn’t shun off the idea of an organism unscathed from a horrendous incident like so.</p><p>“Ok…” Elle sounded a little concerned. “So what are you here for?”</p><p>“Actually, Elle. I have to ask,” Cassie continued as steadily as she could. “What happened to your forehead?”</p><p>“Oh, uh. This? Just a bump. Nothing to worry about,” her friend chided briskly. </p><p>“A 'bump’?” the Hanan human interrupted. “Elle, you scared your uncle out of his wits when you came in. You even had blood.”</p><p>“Blood?” Prince Jake exclaimed. The circumstances of this injury and the car accident were overlapping together too conveniently.</p><p>“Hanan’s blowing it out of proportion. It was noth-”</p><p>“She got mugged this morning,” the other human went straight to the point.</p><p>&lt;Mugged?&gt; Rachel uttered with surprise.</p><p>I understood that word, from a book called the dictionary. A very specific form of robbery by petty humans by assaulting another and stealing the things they were carrying. So my friends were shocked at this news.</p><p>“Wait. Someone mugged you?” Prince Jake asked.</p><p>“...Yes,” the Elle human confessed unhappily. </p><p>“Are you ok? Did they hurt you?” Cassie pressed.</p><p>“I’m...more or less all right.” She nervously laughed. </p><p>“You’re lucky they just took your jacket and shoes,” the older human pointed. “I told you before. That part of the city is shady.”</p><p>&lt;Jacket and shoes?&gt; Rachel said. </p><p>&lt;Were those not the artificial skins this human wore earlier?&gt; I asked.</p><p>&lt;What’s going on here…&gt;</p><p>I could not answer that. I was just as perplexed as she was.</p><p>“Huh...” Prince Jake thought deeply. “But...she’s right. At least it’s only those things they took.”</p><p>“It’s not just that… They took my tips and an old watch,” Elle explained disappointedly. “They were in the jacket they stole.”</p><p>“I’m so sorry,” Cassie said.</p><p>“It’s ok. I’ve gone through worse while delivering.”</p><p>“That’s not a comforting thought,” Prince Jake exclaimed. </p><p>“The life of a delivery person. It’s never an easy job…” Hanan sighed. “I’ve already called the police about the theft. I’m not gonna get my hopes up but stealing from a kid? That’s unforgivable.”</p><p>&lt;I couldn’t agree more,&gt; Rachel offered privately. &lt;I vouch we look for this thief and give them what for.&gt;</p><p>&lt;Thief? What thief?&gt; Marco uttered.</p><p>“All we can do is leave it to them and catch the culprit,” the tall human continued.</p><p>“Sure,” Elle muttered under her breath. “Like anyone can go after those freaks of nature.”</p><p>“Come again?” Prince Jake asked for better clarity.</p><p>“I mean, I didn’t get a good look at them. They surprised me,” she explained. “So I dunno if anything can be done about it.”</p><p>“And you came back here after that?” Cassie pried. “You didn’t go...somewhere else?”</p><p>“I didn’t think about going to the police. All I wanted was to go back home. So I came back to the restaurant.”</p><p>“I can imagine.”</p><p>“Hey,” Elle spoke out. “Can you two do me a favor? Can you forget you heard everything and don't tell everyone at school?”</p><p>“Why?” Prince Jake asked.</p><p>“I don’t want anyone to know. I already have Kong Kong and Hanan here worried about me after I came back.”</p><p>“Who wouldn’t be worried?” Hanan intervened.</p><p>“Elle, what happened to you, that’s pretty serious,” Cassie expressed her sincerity. </p><p>“I know. I know,” Elle started. “I’m already going home tonight to get an earache from my mom. I don’t need any more people knowing about it.”</p><p>&lt;Unfortunately...we all know,&gt; Rachel exclaimed.</p><p>&lt;Know what? What’s happening?&gt; Marco asked from somewhere. So Rachel relayed what we’ve learned to the others outside.</p><p>“Look,” Elle continued. “I’m not dead. I didn’t get shanked. I wasn’t held for ransom or anything. I’m fine. So can you please not tell anyone at school?”</p><p>“I get it,” Prince Jake explained. “You don’t have to worry. We’re not the type to gossip.”</p><p>“Hm.” Elle wasn’t convinced.</p><p>“We won’t. You have our word.” Cassie heaved a sigh of relief. “Still, it’s good that you’re ok…” </p><p>“...Cassie, are you alright? You’ve been acting weird since you walked in.”</p><p>She slightly skipped when Elle asked that. “W-What do you mean?”</p><p>“You look like you’ve attended a funeral today. Did something happen?”</p><p>“You...could say that,” Prince Jake pointed. What was the word again? Irony?</p><p>“I-It’s nothing, really. I’ve just had a lot on my mind. That’s all,” Cassie said.</p><p>Again, the human wasn’t convinced. Cassie’s reaction was too quick. Perhaps Elle picked up on something strange in her voice a Controller would notice.</p><p>&lt;Should we intervene?&gt; I proposed. The longer they stalled, the more dangerous their situation would become.</p><p>“How about this. You can have anything you want at 15% off. On the house.”</p><p>I have heard about this kind of custom.</p><p>The word, discount, was a powerful word to humans. Many useful things on this planet have a label attached to them, which you simply cannot take without a sort of abstract human concept for equivalent exchange: money. That label varies in numbers but occasionally, I’d see it be reduced with a symbol of two dots between a line. </p><p>The ‘discounted’ useful item suddenly captures the humans in an extraordinary feat, to the point that item is sold out in one day.</p><p>“15? That’s a bit too generous,” Prince Jake stated.</p><p>“Elle, you don’t have to-” Cassie started.</p><p>“I don’t like customers being sad.” Elle first declared, “‘Yan Fú Wok. Bringing fortune and joy right to your table’. That’s our motto.” She then continued sincerely, “I won’t pry, Cassie. The only way to lift your spirits up with a good meal. Things get better on a full stomach.”</p><p>I will admit, it was an inspiring speech. Enough to sway both Prince Jake and Cassie’s worries away. Even Rachel herself that she uttered a small &lt;huh&gt;.</p><p>Humans are bizarre creatures. My friends have often shown their ways in our conversations. Some humans deduct with logic, just like we Andalites do in matters. Some express their emotions out loud or softly. Others use a more direct way. As Rachel once said, actions speak louder than words.</p><p>This human, however, used humble words to lower my friends’ defenses. I did not see anything wrong with them. She was, after all, promoting her business - a practice I’ve seen with human clerks at the mall, quite similar to hers but without the bright smile.</p><p>However, that charisma can also be a dangerous tool to a Yeerk.</p><p>“Besides, nobody from our school comes here to eat. It’s always takeout with you.” The Elle human then looked at Prince Jake. “And you. So why not for today. And if not today, then it can be for another day.”</p><p>Cassie smiled. “That’s really nice of you-”</p><p>“Also, it’s to bribe you to not tell anyone what happened to me.”</p><p>The remark took the two by surprise. Even to me and Rachel. As sharp as Marco’s sense of dryness but as kind as Cassie’s words. </p><p>“Ok. That’s honestly...upfront about you,” Prince Jake admitted.</p><p>“Heh!” Elle grinned coyly. </p><p>&lt;And clever,&gt; Rachel said. </p><p>&lt;Again, what’s happening? We can’t hear through windows, you know,&gt; Marco complained.</p><p>“You’re full of surprises, Elle.”</p><p>“There’s a lot of things you don’t know about me, Cassie. Now.” She slapped her hands together. “About that discount. I suggest you take the mango pudding for dessert. Impress Cassie with that!”</p><p>Cassie laughed at the modesty. “Elle, the food here is already impressive enough. Though, I’ve never really tried mango pudding.”</p><p>“I’m glad to hear that. But I meant you.” She pointed at Prince Jake, surprising him yet again. “You should be the one buying that for her.”</p><p>“...What do you mean by that?” he cautiously asked.</p><p>“Isn’t that why you two came here? For a date?”</p><p>Elle’s question was indeed innocent-sounding and straightforward. However, it made the two flustered. As though the question was somehow provocative.</p><p>“I...uh, what…” Prince Jake was lost with words. Cassie was the same too.</p><p>“Oh, oh!” Hanan droned. “Sly dog…”</p><p>“This isn’t what you think it is,” he stated clumsily. </p><p>“It isn’t?” Elle asked, realizing as if she may have unintentionally made a mistake. </p><p>“Don’t be so bashful,” Hanan said to Prince Jake. “Elle makes a good point. You should take up that offer while you have the chance.”</p><p>“But we...are just here to…do takeout...” That was the excuse they had planned to say. However, they came out so soft that Hanan didn’t hear Prince Jake.</p><p>It also didn’t help with how confined the building was that small talk could reach the ears of other humans. </p><p>“Oh, oh. Am I hearing that right?” One of the older humans at their tables, a female, overheard the conversation with a kind chuckle. </p><p>"Ha! Now that's something you don't see often," her friend chattered.</p><p>“Hello!” a male human’s voice uttered from nowhere, but not enough to disrupt the atmosphere. “Delivery for Yan Fú Wok.” </p><p>“The night market. Coming,” Elle said in response. “Hanan, can you take over?”</p><p>“Sure, sure. I’ll show the lovebirds in.”</p><p>“Wait… Elle…” Cassie pleaded but Elle was already gone. Leaving them alone with the humans’ gossiping.</p><p>“I remember being thirteen. My parents wouldn’t let me date by myself either. Remember the festival, dear?” one woman said.</p><p>A second male human laughed. “Of course. My friends begged me to help them when they knew I was with you that day.”</p><p>“They had to with Lee’s broken leg. And you saved the lion dance.”</p><p>Hanan giggled. “Oh, would you two relax? You’re as stiff as trees.”</p><p>It was a true observation. Prince Jake had also become very red in the face. He and Cassie refused to make eye contact.</p><p>“You know what?” Cassie uttered. “It was a bad idea to come.”</p><p>“Aw, don't go. You gotta treat that special someone once in a while. Life's too short to let it slip past you.”</p><p>“Here, here, Hanan,” one male dark-skinned human cheered with a raise of his drink.</p><p>“You're making this harder than it should be,” Prince Jake groaned.</p><p>&lt;C’mon, Jake,&gt; Rachel droned. &lt;Hanan’s right. Grow a spine. This is a chance in a lifetime for you two.&gt;</p><p>Prince Jake’s face darkened. He most definitely wanted a word with her, after they’d leave the restaurant.</p><p>&lt;Hey. It’s not everyday you two have a nice dinner together. Get some alone time together. After everything we’ve gone through, I’d say you two deserve it.&gt;</p><p>&lt;Yeah. Yeah. That’s sweet but we don’t have time for this adorable denial rant,&gt;  Marco groaned with a distinctive tone he normally says when he’d roll his eyes. &lt;Jake likes Cassie. Cassie likes Jake. Rachel and Tobias have a thing. We all know and nobody cares. We’re here for this Elle girl, people.&gt;</p><p>&lt;Ahem,&gt; Tobias coughed awkwardly.</p><p>&lt;...Marco. I’m gonna kill you.&gt;</p><p>“How about this? I can tell ya what the secret menu is,” Hanan whispered, jabbing an elbow at Prince Jake. </p><p>&lt;Oh! Did you hear that? The secret menu! Get that from her, would ya, Jake?&gt; Marco droned.</p><p>“Not. Helping,” he said through his teeth, more directed at Marco than to Hanan. However, Marco wouldn’t have heard it.</p><p>&lt;Guys,&gt; Tobias called everyone. &lt;Outside. On the roof. Now. Quietly.&gt;</p><p>The tone of his thought-speech spoke volume to us - something urgent was outside the restaurant. We couldn’t stay any longer.</p><p>“Sorry but...we have to take a rain check on that discount,” Prince Jake explained to Hanan.</p><p>“What? So soon? But didn’t you come here for a date?”</p><p>“Elle put those words in our mouths,” Cassie muttered.</p><p>&lt;Tell her you both need to use the bathrooms. Get out from there,&gt; Rachel suggested.</p><p>&lt;Rachel and I will leave through the back,&gt; I added.</p><p>The conversation wasn’t going anywhere productive in Prince Jake’s and Cassie’s favors, however. Hanan was still convincing them to stay for dinner, which they kindly refused before heading to the bathrooms. I believe they were very eager to get out as quick as possible.</p><p>&lt;This way,&gt; Rachel told me.</p><p>It was a long and treacherous journey across unknown territory, hiding in anything dark we could slip in and out as we scaled across the wall.</p><p>My antennae led the way for me to a white kitchen in the back, or at least for the cockroach’s mind. The smells were overwhelmingly powerful but welcoming to the cockroach. Sweet and savoury. I even smelled something familiar. </p><p>&lt;Ax! Focus! We’re nearly to the backdoor.&gt;</p><p>I steered away from the aromas. I knew enough that I couldn’t delay too long in this form and I promised Prince Jake I would not be lured by food.</p><p>As long as we stayed out of sight, no human would notice us and take action to ‘stomp’ on us.</p><p>“Meow.”</p><p>It was an unlikely sound that I least expected to hear. It wasn’t one I have never heard before but certainly, the insect’s mind was beyond terrified. It knew this kind of presence - different from the enormous humans. It was smaller and predatory.</p><p>Golden eyes with slit-shaped pupils glanced at us. Something orange, white and hairy moved their claw over our heads.</p><p>I hollered out exactly what the cockroach’s instincts said.</p><p>&lt;Run!&gt;</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A/N: Next chapter up and left on an interesting cliffhanger.<br/>Should I upload the next one soon.... Naaaah! I still got to do editing anyway. :D</p><p>I will say I'm happy for a drastic change from the original draft it had. It originally had Ax raiding the restaurant pantry but I'll save that for another future plot I suppose. And it's adorbs having our fav pairings be teased (even though I'm actually not that great with fluff or romance). Anyhow, enjoy this chapter. </p><p>28/10/20 - First upload.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. NINE: RACHEL</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>NINE: RACHEL</strong>
</p><hr/><p>
  <em> 5:56 P.M. </em>
</p><p>I ran as fast as my six little legs could take me. Even let the roach’s jumpy instincts take over in hopes it could boast me right out of danger.</p><p>But the ginger and white cat was fast. Eyes trailed after me with lighting reflexes. One paw down. A miss. Then its gaze locked on me.</p><p>&lt;Come here!&gt; Ax hollered at the perky feline. It worked for a second but he was more fascinated at me than at a second cockroach.</p><p>There was one thing I had forgotten about Elle’s restaurant. Well, three things. She often didn’t let them out during the day, even in the kitchen. She once told me that besides being one of the reasons for the restaurant’s popularity, they were “better than pest control”.</p><p>Elle had three cats at her family restaurant. </p><p>Using a roach morph clearly was a<em> stupid idea! </em></p><p>I couldn’t stay low to the floor anymore. I had to get somewhere high.</p><p>Right! Cockroaches have wings!</p><p>I took one leap of faith, flapping my gauzy, gross wings as fast as I could. But I didn’t go as far as I had hoped and landed on a metal table.</p><p>“Gingko!” I heard Elle shout. “What are you doing here? You know you’re not supposed to-”</p><p>&lt;She sees you!&gt;</p><p>Elle sounded like she inhaled all the air to stop herself from screaming. If she did, the whole restaurant would know - a roach was in the kitchen.</p><p>To a Yeerk, they couldn’t care less for a little insect. To a human whose family owns a small restaurant, that was <em>a big deal</em>. If word got out, Elle’s family business would be ruined. I was already guilty enough to go along with Ax’s plan and sneak in as a cockroach. </p><p>So...to be honest...Elle had every right to take action on a roach.</p><p>&lt;Run, Rachel!&gt; </p><p>The table shook violently. <em> Bam! Bam! </em>I think she got a utensil to try and squash me. I quickly sneaked under any nook and cranny I could find. Plates, pots, anything.</p><p>It was only for a split second every time. Elle was fast in tearing down my hiding places but I was already onto my next one. This couldn’t last this long unless either of us would give up!</p><p>“<em>Gingko!</em>”</p><p>I didn’t know what was happening. I think the ginger cat didn’t give up on me.</p><p>
  <em> Someone. Help! </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Cloof! </em>
</p><p>&lt;Ow!&gt; Then I suddenly hit a wall I couldn’t see.</p><p>“Kong Kong.”</p><p>&lt;Rachel! Stay still,&gt; I heard Tobias holler.</p><p>&lt;Stay still?! I don’t know what’s happening!&gt;</p><p>&lt;The old man’s got you. In a glass.&gt;</p><p>&lt;That doesn’t sound good!&gt;</p><p>My whole world shifted as something strange slid under my tiny feet. Whatever it was, it was very thin and brown. </p><p>Another sudden jerk of my world and I saw an old man’s face close to the glass.</p><p>Elle’s great uncle, Mr Liang. Owner and chef. On first impression, the tall, broad man with grey hair looked very unfriendly. He had a scowl that told anyone to not talk badly about anything. Not even his business.</p><p>My family has been regular customers for years and before I even found out about the invasion, I learned that Mr Liang was, well, misunderstood.</p><p>He rarely showed expressions and didn’t speak much English either. So anyone would find him intimidating. But Mr Liang showed his hospitality in his own ways, like occasionally refilling our green tea or giving a bow every time someone comes and leaves the place.</p><p>On the day we decided to infiltrate the restaurant, I took it that everyone inside Yan Fú Wok was a Controller. Including Mr Liang. I couldn’t see the scary nice man like I did the same way.</p><p>So I really thought that he was one. All because he caught me with a glass and a piece of cardboard.</p><p>“Kong Kong, that’s a…” Elle lowered her voice. “<em>A cockroach</em>. The customers won’t like it.”</p><p>Mr Liang simply gave a deep “hm-hm”. I expected him to do something but all he did was look at Elle while keeping me in my prison.</p><p>At first, she looked confused. Then she glanced at me.</p><p>Had I been found out?</p><p>Elle looked sympathetic. Wait, to a cockroach?</p><p>“Sorry,” she apologised innocently. “‘Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.‘”</p><p>Mr Liang nodded at her answer. </p><p>Hang on. Wasn’t that like something you read off a fortune cookie? Also, if you see a cockroach in the kitchen, <em> you kill it! </em> Elle was doing just that!</p><p>Suddenly, my whole world shifted again. The old chef was taking me somewhere. <em> Where </em> exactly?</p><p>&lt;He’s heading for the backdoor,&gt; Tobias confirmed for me.</p><p>The light around me blasted up a notch, nearly blinding me. I felt the world go down.</p><p>Then the glass came off.</p><p>I was near the wheel of a dumpster. Outside. The cockroach mind screamed at me to run away from Mr Liang’s looming shadow. Hide. But he walked back into the restaurant.</p><p>...Was I missing something here?!</p><p>&lt;You ok, Rachel?&gt; Tobias asked.</p><p>&lt;I think so? I thought he was gonna crush me… Not take me outside.&gt; </p><p>Another cockroach then crawled out from under the door.</p><p>&lt;Ax?&gt; I guessed.</p><p>&lt;Yes. It is me.&gt;</p><p>&lt;Good. We are never going back in there as cockroaches again. Ever.&gt;</p><p>&lt;Morph into birds. There’s something you guys need to see,&gt; Tobias said.</p><p>&lt;Good. Anything to get out of this gross form,&gt; I complained.</p><p>The back alley behind the restaurant was perfect for me and Ax to switch into our bird morphs. Up we went, joining Tobias and three other birds on the next door’s rooftop.</p><p>&lt;Rachel, I heard the commotion-&gt;</p><p>&lt;I’m fine,&gt; I cut Cassie short. &lt;One of Elle’s cats found me.&gt;</p><p>&lt;What’s happening?&gt; Jake asked, straight into business. Whatever it was, it had to be something urgent and bad for us to bail out.</p><p>&lt;Cops,&gt; Marco said.</p><p>And I was right.</p><p>Sure enough, the white and black car drove down the street before parking outside the restaurant. No blaring alarm but their presence made it obviously uneasy.</p><p>To everyone, the police are supposed to help people. Catch bad guys. They are supposed to be someone you turn to for any terrible thing.</p><p>But they can’t help stop an invasion. Not when they are all Controllers.</p><p>We had Yeerks coming to Yan Fú Wok.</p><p>“Oh, finally,” the waitress, Hanan, stepped out of the restaurant. “About time they sent you.”</p><p>The two policemen looked at each other, puzzled. </p><p>“So have you caught the thief?” she continued.</p><p>“Hello, ma’am. What is this regarding?” one of the cops spoke politely.</p><p>“Isn’t this about the mugging this morning?” she asked, sounding displeased right off the bat. “My boss’s relative got jumped on during a delivery.”</p><p>The news flew over the two men’s heads. They didn’t care. And Hanan could see that in their faces.</p><p>“I'm sorry. But we are here for another matter,” the same cop explained. “If you want, you can file in a report-”</p><p>“‘File a report’?” she snapped. “I just said someone was mugged and had an expensive watch stolen. You’re cops. You should be doing your job.”</p><p>What Hanan was doing was dangerous. If she wasn’t making a scene, with eyes on her, the police Controllers would take her and infest her with a Yeerk. I could feel the hostility within the Quarter. Two white men on patrol in this part of the city would make things uneasy for everyone there.</p><p>Out came Elle. “What’s going on?”</p><p>“Elle. Tell these cops what happened to you. They can’t just let that thief go off freely.”</p><p>The moment she glanced at the two men, Elle was visibly nervous. Her left hand tightened onto her right wrist. </p><p>“Good afternoon, young lady,” the ‘sincere’ cop introduced.</p><p>“...What do you want?” Elle reluctantly asked.</p><p>The man approached. “Don’t worry. We would like to ask you a few questions regarding an incident today. Is that ok?”</p><p>“Incident? What incident?” Hanan asked in a protective manner.</p><p>“I’m afraid we cannot share any information.”</p><p>“No, she shouldn’t answer any questions. She’s not a culprit. She’s a victim!” </p><p>“We’re not implying anything, miss...”</p><p>Hanan crossed her arms. She wasn’t going to give her name out. So he continued.</p><p>“We are only here to clear up any misunderstanding.”</p><p>
  <em> Ding! </em>
</p><p>Mr Liang also stepped out of the restaurant to their rescue. With his unfriendly expression like always. “Girls. Inside.”</p><p>“The owner, I presume. We have some questions to ask your grandniece-”</p><p>“Mai,” Mr Liang replied sternly to the Controller with a foreign word before speaking to Elle in the same tongue.</p><p>“You can stand as her legal witness, sir,” the Controller continued, using his role to stop him. “We won’t make this too long.”</p><p>“Mai. Leave.”</p><p>“You should be more cooperative, <em> sir</em>,” the second cop rudely said. His whole demeanor was enough to mean business. He had the gun to prove it. </p><p>What was surprising was how little of a dent he had to Mr Liang. He stood like an oak tree. Maybe because he had dealt with harsher customers than the officer.</p><p>But the thing was he wasn’t dealing with a person. He was talking to a Controller.</p><p>“Or else this is obstruction of justice.”</p><p>“Is that a threat?” Hanan hissed at the big cop.</p><p>“We can come back with a warrant, miss,” the other cop said.</p><p>No. Not a warrant. More Controllers instead. And with force.</p><p>&lt;Oooh, this is not good,&gt; Marco uttered dreadfully at how fast it was escalating. I didn’t like it either.</p><p>&lt;What should we do?&gt; Cassie asked Jake. I know, we all know - we had to keep a low profile. One wrong move just because we let our emotions get in the way, and that would be the end.</p><p>Even so, from all this, anyone could tell. Three humans that were probably not under the Yeerks’ control could lose it all in an instant if nothing was done.</p><p>“Kong Kong! Hanan!”</p><p>The tension seemed to cut in half thanks to Elle suddenly stepping in. She assured her uncle and friend with a wide smile.</p><p>“It’s ok. I’ll answer their questions. Then we can move on with our day.”</p><p>“Elle. These cops haven’t explained anything to us,” her friend pointed. </p><p>“It’s just routine questioning,” the ‘good’ cop exclaimed calmly. “We won’t want to waste any of your time.”</p><p>The amount of ‘passive-aggressive talking’ made my skin crawl. If I could, I’d sock that Controller down. Full bear mode. Even Hanan and Mr Liang wanted him gone.</p><p>But Elle tried being the voice of reason. “Ten minutes. Then I’ll come back inside.”</p><p>The two older people were torn on the spot. Mr Liang, the most, even with what little expression he showed. He spoke to her again in Mandarin and she talked back to him.</p><p>&lt;Hey, Ax. You have that translator in your head. What are they saying?&gt; Marco asked.</p><p>&lt;I thought you could answer that for me.&gt;</p><p>&lt;What? Don’t you understand most languages by now?&gt;</p><p>&lt;I have also told you that I need to hear enough of a native tongue for my translator chip to process the language. Speaking of which, what language are they talking in?&gt; Ax curiously asked. &lt;It is very different from the ones I’ve heard on TV.&gt;</p><p>&lt;It’s Mandarin,&gt; I answered. &lt;It’s what Chinese people use.&gt;</p><p>Whatever Elle and her great uncle were talking about, it finally calmed him down. I think he looked calm.</p><p>“Alright,” he said. “Ten minutes. Then come in.” He nodded to Hanan.</p><p>“I don’t like this but ok…” Hanan gave a piercing glare at the police officers. “We’re watching you.”</p><p>“There is nothing to worry about, miss. She is safe with us.”</p><p>“...You cops are all the same,” she grumbled under her breath.</p><p>With that, Elle was left alone with the two officers.</p><p>&lt;This can’t be good,&gt; Cassie said. &lt;Are the Yeerks here about the accident?&gt;</p><p>&lt;Well, can’t blame them. The Yeerks chase after a girl with a strange device. She winds up injured and now they find her fine and dandy,&gt; Marco relayed out the events. &lt;So they’re looking for the same answers we’re after.&gt;</p><p>&lt;This seems a bit, well, calm for Yeerks,&gt; Tobias pointed. &lt;I thought they’d be taking the situation in their hands but...a police interrogation?&gt;</p><p>&lt;Whatever they have plans, it’s not good. If they find anything suspicious from Elle, they might really drag her away. Even her whole family.&gt;</p><p>&lt;Like what they did to David,&gt; Cassie said anxiously.</p><p>&lt;Not this time. She has us watching her,&gt; I explained. </p><p>&lt;Hey, now. Don’t go jumping in as the heroine yet. Let’s see how this plays out,&gt; Marco insisted.</p><p>Elle was led to the police car. But she stood a good distance from the two men, where we and anyone from the restaurant could see them. We flew over them to a perch closer to them, a lamppost over the police car.</p><p>It had to be scary for her, being talked to by police officers for no particular reason. Worse, she might not even be related to the accident in the first place. Her being robbed in broad daylight? Yeah, it left more questions and a Yeerk wouldn’t care about it.</p><p>Elle wasn’t worried, though. In fact, she didn’t have her usual demeanor. She had her hands in her pockets, looking emotionless as she studied the men.</p><p>“Now, then. Can you tell us where you were this morning?” the ‘nice’ cop asked.</p><p>Elle averted her eyes away with a bored look. </p><p>“Stop acting and answer the question, <em> grub</em>,” the ‘bad’ cop demanded impatiently. “I don’t have time to be dealing with you.”</p><p>&lt;Excuse me?&gt; I barked. Even if they were Controllers, that was downright rude.</p><p>His partner turned back. “Hey, this isn’t a good idea-”</p><p>“There are no humans here to worry about semantics, Cretri.” </p><p>&lt;What?&gt; Marco gasped. </p><p>&lt;Did the Yeerks just outright expose themselves?&gt; Tobias asked.</p><p>The ‘bad’ cop glared at Elle. “Let’s get to the point, Orekor.”</p><p>At first, the name didn’t sink for me. Who was he talking to? The other Yeerk? </p><p>I had a bad feeling about this. </p><p>“Orekor [<b>redacted</b>],” the Controller hollered again. To Elle. “Tell us where you were today.”</p><p>Nothing from her. </p><p>“I won’t ask again, <em> Werch!</em>”</p><p>“Fine.”</p><p>The truth hit me like a ton of bricks when Elle glanced up to the cop Controller. Methodical like. She spoke in a tone Elle never spoke before. She didn’t react in a natural way that he was talking nonsense. That a human should react.</p><p>“What do you want?” she demanded calmly. Coldly.</p><p>Yeerk-like.</p><p>It wasn’t Elle.</p><p>It never was her...</p><p>I had been hoping this entire time. That we were wrong. But at the same time, I sorta knew. Deep down, I should have expected it anyway.</p><p>The cheerful delivery girl I know from school was a Controller.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A/N: I got a bit eager to upload the next chapter but it's alright with how I've been progressing for my alpha/beta writing. And here we have the one of a few big reveals in this story. :) Additionally, I will be taking some time from uploading after chapter Ten to focus on refining the later plot structure and going back to edit writing errors in the previous chapters. Again, do let me know if there's anything off or wrong in grammar, etc. I really do try my best to fix things but I will overlook X'D<br/>Anyhow enjoy this new chapter.</p><p>1/11/20 - First upload.<br/>2/11/20 - Small edits.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. TEN: CASSIE</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>TEN: CASSIE </strong>
</p><hr/><p>
  <em> 6:08 P.M. </em>
</p><p>“I said, what do you want?” the person I knew as Elle spoke in a cold, condensing tone.</p><p>Something I’ve never heard her say before.</p><p>&lt;I was right,&gt; Marco uttered. &lt;She does have a Yeerk.&gt;</p><p>&lt;But, she…&gt; I was lost with words, letting the news sink in further. &lt;...Elle’s a Controller?&gt;</p><p>&lt;Why is that so hard to believe? We’re in the middle of a Yeerk gathering.&gt;</p><p>Like Marco said, it shouldn’t be that hard. I couldn’t wrap my brain around it.</p><p>It meant some of our earlier assumptions were right. But that also meant the contradictions too. Were the Yeerks really after her to keep her quiet? They could have left her for dead like at the accident.</p><p>It made me wonder if this really was Elle’s second infestation. If so, then how long had she been a Controller before today?</p><p>The dainty cop shook his head at the sudden setback. Then he grinned. Not the <em> fake</em>, friendly-looking smile like before. It was pure disgust at Elle. Even his partner showed no effort to hide that fact in him.</p><p>“Well. Might as well get down to business,” the ‘good’ cop said.</p><p>It wasn’t odd for Yeerks to dislike one another - we’ve seen some backstab each other. But something about this confrontation was a little different. More hostile even.</p><p>“Where were you this morning, <em> Werch? </em>”</p><p>“You haven’t answered my question,” Elle said languidly. “Why should I say anything to you?”</p><p>“Silence, <em> Werch</em>. We do the questioning here,” his partner uttered. </p><p>“We know your reputation all too well,” the first cop passively threatened. </p><p>“I’m flattered. Want my autograph?” Elle droned sarcastically. </p><p>Then I heard a snicker.</p><p>&lt;Marco, did you just-&gt; Rachel started.</p><p>&lt;No. I didn’t. Yeerks can’t joke.&gt;</p><p>The officer wasn’t amused by the remark. “Conspiring with the enemy, defamation, release of prisoners, defiance of the Council, even blackmail. The list goes on. All done in one day.”</p><p>&lt;Conspiring?&gt; I repeated.</p><p>&lt;Whoa, did we stumble onto a dangerous Yeerk?&gt; Marco droned.</p><p>&lt;More dangerous than Visser Three? Please,&gt; Rachel said.</p><p>“You know, Orekor,” the Controller taunted. “You should be grateful you were spared. If Sub Visser Fifty-Four hadn’t spoken up for you-”</p><p>“Is this to reminisce about my downfall or do you have a point to this meeting?” She was impatient. Spiteful of that name. This was old history and she wanted none of it. </p><p>“Where were you between three to four p.m.?”</p><p>“Delivering food on the west side.”</p><p>“That’s vague.” </p><p>“It’s straightforward,” she answered. “Do you want an exact listing of addresses I was at? I’ve been through four this morning and three in the afternoon.”</p><p>The good cop jotted the information down onto a notebook he took out. “Do those addresses include the construction site downtown?”</p><p>“What for? That place is off-limits.” </p><p>“Answer the question, <em> Werch, </em>” the cop’s friend demanded.</p><p>“...Yes. There was a delivery for ten forty-five a.m. at that street.” Elle’s eyes tightened with disdain. “You could have talked to my watcher.”</p><p>“Ah, yes. Sarric, was it? We’ll run with him on his reports.”</p><p>“To see if I’ve committed something terrible? Please. I was nowhere near those locations around that time.”</p><p>“Really?” He simply smiled. Like he had caught her in a lie. “Several eyewitnesses say otherwise.” The Controller relished her discomfort before reading off his notebook.</p><p>“Around 4 pm, a driver ran over a young girl fitting your host’s description. And before that, you were last seen by Fifth Avenue.”</p><p>“They are mistaken,” Elle rebutted coolly before holding out her arms. “Look. I’m unharmed. I don’t have any broken bones.”</p><p>“What about that bandage on your head?”</p><p>“That is from the mugging this morning. What that human waitress just explained? It should be in the records if you bother to check.”</p><p>It didn’t seem to convince the men. But Elle didn’t care if it did or didn’t.</p><p>“Do you know about the Dzual Cell?”</p><p>“The what?” Elle’s cold demeanor was replaced with confusion. For a short moment, she reprised her role as her host. She then scorned when all she got was the pen noisily scribbling on the notebook.</p><p>&lt;Dzual Cell. Sounds very Yeerk-like,&gt; Tobias said. </p><p>“Are we done here?” Elle complained tiredly. “I have work to do-”</p><p>“There are still too many unanswered questions,” the Controller said wickedly. “It would make it easy on you to come to the station-”</p><p>She snorted. “What if I refuse?”</p><p>“Be careful, grub.” He arched forward like a typical villain you’d see in those cartoons. “It’s not nice to raise a voice at an ‘officer of the law’.”</p><p>“Hah.” Elle slipped out a laugh that couldn’t exhume any energy. “Mediocre tactics. Shows how desperate you are.”</p><p> &lt;Isn't this escalating fast?&gt; I said.</p><p>&lt;It’s a bad idea to jump in,&gt; Marco warned. &lt;We could make things worse.&gt;</p><p>&lt;But still…&gt; I looked at Jake, hoping he’d give the word. Anything.</p><p>“You claim to have no involvement. Alright. All you need to do is take a DNA swab. And we can sort this mistake out.” The good cop smiled eerily at her. “It’s that simple.”</p><p>Elle wore her poker face throughout most of the conversation. No matter how stern and disinterested it was, it had no effect on the grinning cop. He wanted her to cave down and talk.</p><p>“No,” she said.</p><p>“You cannot refuse-” the ‘bad’ cop started.</p><p>“No. I can. If you had any proof that puts me at those locations, you’d be arresting me by now.”</p><p>“And you don’t have proof that you weren’t,” his partner counterattacked.</p><p>“You said a human was run over by a car. Why don’t you show me photos?”</p><p>The two men were strangely silent, reluctant to answer back. </p><p>“You have no photos. No evidence. Only testimonies,” Elle scoffed. “I don’t <em> need </em>to prove anything.”</p><p>“...Tsk!” the nice cop clicked his tongue. “Your reputation does precede you.”</p><p>“Doesn’t mean you’re not involved,” his partner stepped in. </p><p>“And what? Do you plan to fabricate evidence? Toss in some ‘bad word’ that I’m up to no good? Go ahead and try,” Elle taunted. Not just surprising the two Controllers but also us as well.</p><p>What was she doing? </p><p>“I’m sure you will get the same result as always. Like you said, I’m a <em> Werch </em>,” Elle explained coldly. “The Council wouldn’t care about what you have to say about me.”</p><p>Both cops were riling in their anger. The game got turned around on them and they could do nothing but let her go off the hook.</p><p>“I’d advise you two to leave the Quarter. Two armed, male Caucasians talking to a defenseless teenager in this part of the city?” she started. “That is a very dangerous thing.”</p><p>“Ha!" the big cop scoffed. "You're threatening us, you damn y'vez?”</p><p>“I’m saying it paints a nice image of you being racist.”</p><p>Both cops glared at her with narrowed eyes until it slowly clicked with them. I even found that clever.</p><p>“That kind of uproar would create a lot of attention. It might even expose this invasion. All because two y'shol couldn’t stay in line,” Elle continued nonchalantly.</p><p>“You-!”</p><p>“And?” the ‘good’ cop stopped his partner. “The Council will just clean it up for us.”</p><p>“They will,” she said. “And they won’t be happy with you two.”</p><p>The two men looked nervous. Then fuming mad. It was a risk they couldn’t take. They couldn’t <em> afford </em> it. Despite how quiet and secretive they’ve kept this invasion from the people of Earth, there were hidden rules they couldn’t break.</p><p>“Ten minutes is up. Now,” Elle said with a gaze as freezing cold as ice. So distant, so ‘done with their business’. </p><p>And she said the next sentence with utmost iciness. </p><p>“Get out of my sight.”</p><p>Their faces said it all of how trapped they were, out in the open. They could do nothing but watch Elle walk back into the restaurant. Like some untouchable character from an action movie. </p><p>Both cops went back into the car, banging their doors very loud, and they soon drove off. Once they were out of our sight, I could relax.</p><p>&lt;Wow. That was tense,&gt; Marco pointed. &lt;They really don’t like this Yeerk.&gt;</p><p>&lt;Well, it’s not uncommon to see them hate each other. But...I do agree this is a little extreme,&gt; Tobias said. &lt;It looked like they’re bullying her.&gt;</p><p>&lt;She handled it just fine to me,&gt; Rachel remarked. </p><p>&lt;Tobias’ right, though,&gt; I said. &lt;It’s like those Controllers <em> wanted </em>to pin her on something.&gt;</p><p>&lt;And what is that <em> something? </em> We came here for answers and got nothing out of it,&gt; Marco groaned. &lt;Man, this was pointless.&gt;</p><p>&lt;I don’t know,&gt; Tobias disagreed. &lt;I’d say that conversation was important.&gt;</p><p>&lt;That she wasn’t at the accident? She could be lying to them. She even denied the swab.&gt;</p><p>&lt;I’m pretty sure anyone in the world wouldn’t want their DNA taken, Marco,&gt; Rachel pointed that out.</p><p>&lt;Maybe we shouldn’t be thinking of this as one incident,&gt; I said. &lt;What if they are two separate incidents?&gt;</p><p>&lt;And what? That was really <em> her twin </em> at the construction site?&gt;</p><p>&lt;Twin…&gt; That word got to me, even if Marco meant it as a joke. &lt;Do you think that maybe the other Elle we saw was, well-&gt;</p><p>&lt;Was what?&gt;</p><p>&lt;Someone like us. With morphing powers.&gt;</p><p>Birds didn’t have any way of expressing emotions like humans but the sheer silence spoke volume to us. </p><p>&lt;It...actually explains a few things,&gt; Tobias pointed.</p><p>&lt;Wait. You’re accusing one of us acquired her DNA and morphed into her?&gt; Marco asked. &lt;We were all there, man.&gt;</p><p>&lt;I’m not saying any of us did… Even though we’re the only ones who have morphing powers,&gt; I said.</p><p>&lt;Well, it’s not something we should ignore,&gt; Jake pointed.</p><p>&lt;I mean, besides us, there is Visser Three. Are we really saying he has some part in all of this?&gt; Rachel pointed back to the one issue we brought up before. &lt;What would his goal be?&gt;</p><p>&lt;There’s a good chance it isn’t us or Visser Three,&gt; Jake suggested. </p><p>&lt;Then...you’re actually saying it’s another Andalite?&gt; Ax asked. </p><p>I could tell by his voice he was a little hopeful. That another stranded Andalite like him could be alive out there. Just a bit that he could find it hard to believe.</p><p>&lt;...It’s possible,&gt; Jake answered. </p><p>&lt;Ok, but what does one Andalite have to do with this one Yeerk? Why do they need her host’s DNA?&gt; Marco hit the hard questions. &lt;It sounds so random to pick one Controller out of nowhere.&gt;</p><p>&lt;It isn’t a random Yeerk,&gt; Ax cut in. &lt;In fact, if there is an Andalite alive, I don’t see a reason why they would pick this specific Yeerk either.&gt;</p><p>&lt;Why’s that?&gt;</p><p>&lt;Because of her <em> Werch </em> status. She has no value to the Yeerks.&gt;</p><p>&lt;<em> Werch, </em> &gt; Jake repeated. &lt;What is a <em> Werch </em>, Ax?&gt;</p><p>&lt;Yeah,&gt; Rachel agreed. &lt;Sounds like a name you'd give to someone you hate.&gt;</p><p>&lt;It is for such a reason,&gt; he explained. &lt;<em> Werch </em> is a Yeerk term for criminal.&gt;</p><p>Criminal.</p><p>That was one word I never thought to hear. </p><p>We've learned a few Yeerk words and their meanings. Every time we heard the word, Visser, there was a sense of dread and alarm for us. Because it was a title at the top, a dangerous enemy.</p><p><em> Werch </em> had a different weight compared to Visser. The word, criminal, to me, didn't sound as dangerous as Visser but it was still unsettling.</p><p>Elle had a criminal in her head.</p><p>&lt;Oh, a criminal,&gt; Marco groaned. &lt;Ok. Exactly how bad is a <em> Werch? </em>&gt;</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A/N: Would you believe this has become one of my favorite revamped chps because of just one line? :3 A lot of the changes are something I actually had wanted to write in the original but never could cuz of how the sequence went. Now it's actually giving me what I wanted and more. </p><p>So ten chapters are up. This makes the first quarter of the whole book. I plan to take it slow for a while to give me some room to fully finish the third quarter. Second quarter is done but I don't want to rush through in fear I could fall into writer's block again. So please be patient for the next set to come. That said, I am very confident this time that I'll be able to complete a whole story and not fall into haitus. </p><p>Again, do let me know if there are some issues as I am always editing nonstop but will miss out something because I've always written in UK English and I tend to mix things around. I will do my best to try and fix but I do appreciate if I could be pointed where the faults lay. I hope you enjoy this chapter and look out for the next maybe in a few weeks time. </p><p>8/11/20 - First upload.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. ELEVEN: TOBIAS</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>ELEVEN: TOBIAS </strong>
</p><hr/><p>
  <em>
    <span>6:21 P.M.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;A </span>
  <em>
    <span>Werch </span>
  </em>
  <span>is a Yeerk malefactor with no chance of redeeming themselves,&gt; Ax explained. &lt;Their crimes range from treason, assassination, destruction to the Council and so on. Their own people mistreat them as the lowest of their hierarchy, because of how much distrust the name carries. It is also loosely referred to as useless or the defeated.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;I'm surprised Yeerks even have their own laws,&gt; Rachel grumbled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;The name isn't taken lightly, from what I've heard. Only high-ranking Yeerks who oppose the Empire are given it. Any Yeerk for other crime, either petty or dangerous, is disposed of instead of branded the name.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;That's...a bit morbid,&gt; Cassie admitted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;And why don't they lock these Werches up?&gt; Marco asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;It’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>Werch’ett</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Not Werches,&gt; Ax corrected him. &lt;Starvation is already a fate worse than imprisonment for them. They die quickly because of the backlash.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;That’s horrible,&gt; Cassie said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;I have only heard about three cases and all three ended within the usual three days a Yeerk survives without Kandrona Rays.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Three days… So this Yeerk’s going to die anyway,&gt; Marco said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Yes. If this is a cover-up, the Yeerks wouldn’t choose a </span>
  <em>
    <span>Werch </span>
  </em>
  <span>for this human,&gt; Ax explained. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Then you’re really saying the girl we saw was an Andalite morphed as her?&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Prince Jake may be right on that presumption. But-&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;But what?&gt; I asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;I do not see a point in acquiring this human’s DNA. A host with a </span>
  <em>
    <span>Werch</span>
  </em>
  <span> would draw too much attention from other Yeerks.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Maybe there’s a reason for it? Maybe it’s connected to that device we saw earlier,&gt; Rachel added.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;It’s possible but...what was this Andalite thinking?&gt; Ax asked himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I got this.” The backdoor opened and closed. Elle dragged three big bags of garbage to the dumpster at the back. This was probably one of her regular chores she had to do, to keep up with the facade.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Ok. Let’s think this over,&gt; Jake stated. &lt;A girl bearing this Controller’s description bumped into us with a Yeerk device. The Yeerks were after her for it.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;She winds up dead at the accident and the Yeerks take back their gizmo,&gt; Marco continued. &lt;They then send police to this </span>
  <em>
    <span>Werch </span>
  </em>
  <span>to find out...what exactly?&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Good question. If this was really two separate incidents like what Cassie said, then what was the connection the Yeerks saw but we didn’t? You could easily see how much the two cop Controllers wanted this incident to stick to Elle. Not out of desperation. Ax wasn’t exaggerated about that backlash. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>What were we missing?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re thinking.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At first, I thought it was meant to us. But that couldn’t be possible. Maybe someone had come into the alleyway and Elle spoke out to that person. But we saw no one but herself, who was staring off aimlessly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What makes you say that?” Elle spoke again. This time, in the brooding tone we heard before. Except without the hostile vibe.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then it switched back to her regular-sounding voice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You always make that face whenever you’re thinking. Penny for your thoughts?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You cannot buy thoughts-ah. Right.” She beamed softly. “It’s nothing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But it </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> something.” The smile changed. Warmer. With a hint of concern. “Why would those Controllers make a big deal about it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She flared her nostrils with an emotionless face. “They’re looking for any excuse they can use against me. No different from any other Yeerk.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;What’s going on?&gt; Marco asked, sounding a little afraid. &lt;Why is the Yeerk talking to herself?&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Oh c’mon. Why would she do that?&gt; Rachel said. The answer should be obvious. Elle’s Yeerk didn’t need to. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yeerks have full control over their hosts. They could literally read minds and know what the host is thinking. There was no point in speaking to one another.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I suppose...today has been an eventful day for us,” Elle talked to herself, tossing the first bag into the dumpster. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Totally. Getting jumped on, robbed and being accused of being somewhere when we weren’t,” she said, her right hand counting out a finger for each point.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hm.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, V’trix. Do you think…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do I think what?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That maybe the person they thought was me was an Andalite in disguise. From this morning.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The eeriness just stacked up to a whole new level for us. An enemy of ours was somehow on the same page as we were.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Okaaay… Did she hear everything we were talking about or is this just a big coincidence?&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;That’s not possible and you better not say this Yeerk can read everyone’s minds, Marco,&gt; Rachel hissed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So you’re saying the Andalite acquired your DNA without our knowledge and impersonated you?” Elle chucked the second bag in. “That’s absurd.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I mean, how can you explain it? Those centaurs ambushed us and one of them knocked me out.” She pointed a finger at her bandage. “They took my jacket, my tips and my shoes. We don’t know what else they took too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Elle had this intellectual pose about herself, her left hand cupping her chin as she pondered. She thought about what she said…to herself. It was confusing - the only thing we could tell was the difference in tones and the exchanging in her demeanor. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But...why you? You are just a human child.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her body language switched again - she rocked back and forth. “I don’t know. Ask the blue freaks. We weren’t in two places at once. So it’s gotta be those Andalites who are setting me up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That is another valid point...if there was some motive behind it. I am a </span>
  <em>
    <span>Werch</span>
  </em>
  <span>, clear as Madra’s moonlight. There’s nothing to gain from acquiring your DNA.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hm…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then silence. You could hear the gears grinding but it wasn’t us doing the thinking. For such a bizarre scene, watching a Yeerk think about what happened before was something I never expected.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;She’s right, you know,&gt; Cassie broke the silence.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Hey, now. Don’t go listening to this Yeerk. We don’t know what her endgame is here,&gt; Marco warned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;But you can’t deny it. She just said she was mugged.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;By an Andalite…? Well, I could see that if they knew she was a Controller,&gt; Rachel said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;So this Andalite acquired her DNA, morphed into her and stole the device from the Yeerks under their noses,&gt; Jake said. &lt;That’s a big risk to take.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Elle’s sudden sigh made us stop our conversation and listen in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“First that customer, your school friends and now this...”  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re talking about that weirdo kid. Marco, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Marco jumped, feathers ruffled. &lt;Excuse me?!&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Think he’s connected?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then her face changed back to disinterest as she shook her head. “Doubtful. It’s clear he showed an interest in you. Human attraction-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Pffft!” Elle made a raspberry sound. “Please. I know his type. He's an insecure Casanova who thinks he's hot but the only thing he can turn on is the microwave.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Ouch,&gt; Jake murmured.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Oh, wow,&gt; Rachel exclaimed. &lt;That’s the best burn I’ve ever heard Elle say.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Who’s side are you on?!&gt; Marco yelled. &lt;That’s the Yeerk talking!&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That's...rather a harsh statement for you to say, Elle.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Oh, great,&gt; Marco continued &lt;I don’t want to hear a Yeerk defending me either!&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t care. He was annoying me with all those questions,” Elle grumbled with a pout. “Pretending he wasn’t at the restaurant this morning.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Wait, you were?&gt; Jake asked him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;No, I wasn’t! She’s making up stories!&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“...He might have been another Andalite.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Elle’s eyes expressed the amount of shock we felt. It was almost close to the truth. To the Yeerks, we were known as the Andalite Bandits - a group of stranded Andalites on Earth fighting against the Yeerks. If someone figured out that we were actually five kids plus one Andalite, our whole act could crumble. It was even worse to think a Yeerk made the connection to Marco.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Elle cut us before we could talk about it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“One of my customers was a fake?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The one who came to the restaurant was the fake. The Andalite might have also taken his DNA and morphed into him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Wait. My DNA was taken?&gt; Marco exclaimed. &lt;Hold up. Wouldn’t I know if someone took my DNA?&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Ok. Either this Yeerk is either spinning the truth so well or she’s delusional,&gt; Rachel said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;But...is this really a Yeerk being crazy?&gt; I asked. &lt;This doesn’t seem so...I don’t know. Irrational?&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;She’s talking to herself. That says a lot.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maybe. That should be a clear sign things weren’t right with this Yeerk. The problem was that the conversation sounded...real. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Real as in I was really hearing and seeing two people talking to each other. But it looked so fake! How could it look that natural?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It can also explain what happened this morning. That wasn’t your schoolmate we saw.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But why?” Elle asked herself. “Why pick customers I know from school?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If I had to guess, to monitor you closely. Using humans in the same age group and with ties to this restaurant's delivery system.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s downright creepy. So they were after my DNA from the start?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know…” She heaved a deep sigh. Back to thinking again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;This is insane. My DNA wasn’t taken...right?&gt; Marco asked, sounding unsure of himself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;I mean, we can’t ignore the possibility there might be another Andalite,&gt; I said and remembered how I got my human DNA back. &lt;For all you know, they might have taken your DNA during your sleep.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Nice. First a Controller came to my house. Now I might have an Andalite being creepy at my bedside. Is my place a beacon for the weird or something?&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Honestly, I think it’s you who attracts the weirdness,&gt; Rachel droned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dzual Cell…” Elle said that name languidly. “I wonder if that is the device the Andalites are after.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She glanced at the ground, looking defeated before closing her eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then she rose back up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The accident was near that construction site, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The one we saw before, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That is correct.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And the construction site was where we had to take that delivery to this morning, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes… What are you proposing?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why don’t we go there and look for answers?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Elle jerked back, surprised at her own suggestion. But she digested it. “The Andalite with your DNA might be long gone by now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There could still be clues.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Clues? That the Yeerks would overlook? The site is perhaps heavily monitored by police force and eyewitness Controllers.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They don’t know what to look for. But we do.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We do?” she murmured with knitted eyebrows. “I thought the Andalites were too oblivious to tell time, let alone make it worth their time to speak to other species.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Why, this...impudent Yeerk!&gt; Ax huffed out. &lt;I very much do know how to tell time!&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They want that battery thing. We find it and give it to those centaurs. Problem solved.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A straightforward idea but I have to ask, why the Andalites?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeerks are out of the question. They’ll just kill us and take it off our hands, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You aren’t wrong about that. But you haven’t forgotten what happened this morning.” She traced her left hand on the bandage. “Andalites are just as dangerous as the Yeerks.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But we can’t leave it alone either. Someone’s walking around with my face. It’s like...doppelgangers!” she explained to herself. “You know, people who look like you? ‘If you come face to face with one, it’s an omen. Both of you die’.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“An interesting comparison to Andalites.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;I do not like this Yeerk one bit,&gt; Ax grumbled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Nobody does,&gt; Rachel added.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So the plan is to give them the battery and tell them to stop morphing into you?” she said in her other tone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Think they’ll do it? If they get what they want, then they can leave us alone.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And what if they don’t agree?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well…” Elle switched back to her perky self. But nervous. “They won’t...kill me, will they?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She shook her head, her aloof expression switching back. “They won’t care for a </span>
  <em>
    <span>Werch</span>
  </em>
  <span>. And I am here.” Her left hand held her right wrist. “I won’t let them harm you again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then...do you wanna forget everything and go on with our day?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No. The longer they indirectly involve us, the more dangerous it becomes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So to the accident site?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is our unanimous vote?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aye.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright!” With as much enthusiastic force she could muster, Elle tossed in the last bag and shut the dumpster lid. </span>
  <em>
    <span>BANG!</span>
  </em>
  <span> “Let’s get going.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then her body language changed: her hands in her pocket and she looked all tough and cold. “And here, I thought I could spend the afternoon listening to the rest of that album.” Elle collected herself before walking back inside.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Okaaay,&gt; Marco groaned. &lt;What just happened?&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;What? You already know the answer,&gt; Rachel said. &lt;This Yeerk has a few screws loose.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Maybe not,&gt; Jake pointed. &lt;This looks like it’s scripted. She has the same thinking as we did about what happened this morning?&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Yeah. It’s fishy. It’s almost like this Yeerk’s trying to humanise itself,&gt; Marco droned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Maybe she is,&gt; Cassie said that out of nowhere.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;What do you mean?&gt; Rachel asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The backdoor opened again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kong Kong, I’ll be fine.” It was Elle, with a parka and a backpack. The cheery Elle who didn’t want her relative to worry over her. After a mugging. “I’m not going to that neighbourhood again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mr Liang folded his arms with the same frown I’ve always seen him wear. “Do not want you to go anywhere.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Kong Kong, I’m a big girl,” Elle assured him. “I can’t stay locked up because of what happened. I got club work to do.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmm…” her relative grumbled with disapproval. “Can not do it tomorrow?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s for Monday. I want to get this out so I can have my Sunday free. Please, Kong Kong?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He said nothing at first, putting his hands on his hips</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll be fine. It’s just a few photos and I’ll be back home before curfew. I promise.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mr Liang heaved a soft sigh. “...Alright. Be back by 9.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“9 o’clock.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your bracelet-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Elle raised up her left hand. Around the wrist was a green beaded piece of jewellery. “Always wearing it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He nodded - his final approval. Then he went back to work while Elle got onto her yellow bike and rode off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Let's go,&gt; Jake said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>We flew after Elle, eyes locked on her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;I don’t think this is scripted,&gt; Cassie continued. &lt;It’s crazy but…doesn't it look like a normal conversation?&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Between who?&gt; I asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;The Yeerk and Elle.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It sounded insane, coming from Cassie. And Marco was quick to say it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;That </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> crazy. Why in the world would a Yeerk want to <em>talk</em> to their host? They're Yeerks.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Maybe it's because she's a nice Yeerk?&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Really? </span>
  <span>Is this another dimension we landed ourselves in, where Yeerks are nice?&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Yes. Aftran is one,&gt; she rebuked back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There are, in a way, some good Yeerks. Some time ago, Cassie had made friends with a Yeerk named Aftran. It almost jeopardized us but it turned out for the better. And it did change our viewpoint - just a bit, not as big as Cassie’s after that experience. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>There were even some rumors about some kind of Yeerk Peace Movement but some of us didn’t want to put too much faith into that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;That’s Aftran,&gt; Rachel pointed. &lt;This is a totally different Yeerk. We don’t know a single thing about her other than she’s a criminal. That isn’t a ‘nice Yeerk’.&gt; </span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Yes but everything about this is strange,&gt; Cassie continued. &lt;And this Yeerk? She’s trying to solve this mystery as much as we do.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;So?&gt; Marco exclaimed. &lt;This could be a trap.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Maybe,&gt; Jake said. &lt;But we got nothing right now. She’s the only lead we’ve got to this mystery.&gt; </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A/N: Hello all, the second quarter is starting up. 10 chapters to come gradually.  To old readers, some of this might seem a bit familiar but a lot has changed. A lot more exposure about Elle and her Yeerk, quite honestly. There are gonna be fine details you'll be picking up (and hey, maybe at the end, you might reread to notice them more obvious than during your first read) or things you could miss in the background. There's a lot of hidden secrets I sprinkled across the pages regarding these two (some already brought up in my old versions). </p><p>Also, I will be taking it slow with this quarter because I'm dealing with time travel writing. So there's often a lot of back and forth for me so that I'm not repeating the same points that have been gone over. Or drag out points that the readers shouldn't be told several times but the characters in any books can be a little dumb if it goes over their heads. Ahem. It's quite difficult to keep in mind what I did or didn't write and relay back my information so I'm on the right page. So this quarter and the other 2 will take some time.</p><p>And it's to give me more time to work on the beta chapters for the other two quarters. AND BOY, are those gonna be a whirlwind of a ride for these kids. XD Good way, I mean. Anyhow, I hope you'll enjoy this chapter and depending on my editing, I may get the next one up next week. Enjoy!</p><p>4/12/20 - First upload.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. TWELVE: AX</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>TWELVE: AX</strong>
</p><hr/><p>
  <em>
    <span>6:39 P.M.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>We continued our pursuit after the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Werch</span>
  </em>
  <span>. The Controller took upon herself to ride on a strange vehicle - a bicycle. It was an unusual, very thin, brightly yellow-colored form that humans use as one way for transportation. She took paths that even my human friends didn’t recognize in this city but it was clear she knew the routes. ‘A city girl,’ Marco threw out in one of our short conversations while we followed her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I was indifferent about this Yeerk. While I did agree with my friends that she was somehow connected, I didn’t share their eagerness that she may have all the answers to this enigma.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A </span>
  <em>
    <span>Werch </span>
  </em>
  <span>was a criminal. Useless. They </span>
  <span>had not only lost their status but also every possible resource and ally in their disposal. That is the extent of their punishment - completely removing any means for them to rise back up to their ranks. </span>
  <span>In fact, I had already anticipated that this lead would be a dead end.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It wasn’t long before Elle slowed down in front of one familiar place in the city.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;That’s the construction site,&gt; Cassie pointed out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;So she returns to the scene of the crime,&gt; Marco droned. &lt;That’s a given for criminals.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>We perched nearby and kept watch on the Yeerk as she put the brakes down and peered at the site. The gates were locked, just how she had left them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She flared her nostrils. “Never would I imagine us returning here…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s closed. It wasn’t closed this morning,” she said. “You think the Andalites are here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“For them to try the same trick...? Don’t drop your guard.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Geez. This place is definitely cursed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Cursed?&gt; Marco repeated.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Somehow, I actually buy that,&gt; Rachel admitted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s always bad news. Something crashed here, an Andalite having died here and then the strange rumors.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I tensed up when I heard that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Was she talking about Elfangor?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I didn’t know how to feel… I was disturbed that an enemy of mine was nonchalantly speaking about him. I wanted her to be quiet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I didn’t want to hear about my brother.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t get why nobody has torn this place down…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Because this area was bought over by Visser Three.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Visser Three,&gt; I spoke softly. Angrily.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;So...he personally took over this site,&gt; Prince Jake said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Makes sense. This place started everything,&gt; Marco said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Him? Why would he want this place?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Controller lightly shrugged her left shoulder, a strange human gesture I have ever seen. “I don’t know. It's probably another one of his ridiculous pedestals this planet he frivolously conquered...or he has something to hide.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Hide? What would he hide?&gt; Rachel asked. &lt;The Yeerks destroyed everything that night. Elfangor’s ship. Even Visser Three-&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She stopped herself for some reason. I didn’t understand it at the time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You think he’s hiding the fact an Andalite died here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What is there to hide? It wasn't even a kept secret to begin with," she answered. "Andalites and Yeerks despise each other. He’s too proud of himself to conspire in working with the enemy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Of course not,&gt; I snapped. &lt;My brother wouldn’t work with that Abomination!&gt; </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And he’s not that clever to think of treason.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Wow,&gt; Marco uttered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, he sounds really vain.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Double wow.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Well, it does show that Visser Three isn’t a likeable Yeerk to his own people,&gt; Cassie pointed out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let us go,” the human said in her second tone and she rode off. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Prince Jake took off without needing to command us to move on. We already expected what our next destination was: the second street the cop Controller mentioned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The accident site.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Whoa,&gt; Tobias uttered softly. &lt;Look ahead.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was five streets away from the construction site, at the empty crossway. That was the last spot we saw that human get hit by a vehicle. We got closer to the scene at the nearby roofs, hopping from one to another as we kept close to the Controller.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everything was </span>
  <em>
    <span>almost </span>
  </em>
  <span>the same as before.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The crowd from earlier had somewhat disbanded but there were also new faces. The female human’s body was gone, with only the dried-up blood pool as her evidence she was there. The area was taped up by the police.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The ambulance and the blue vehicle were still there. Both bashed down and turned over on its sides. Lights and windows broken to pieces. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>So my friends couldn’t help but look in shock. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Did a bulldozer run through the street?&gt; Marco exclaimed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;What happened there?&gt; Cassie asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Controller riding towards the blocked-up street halted with a harsh stop on the braces.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whoa…” Elle gasped. “Ok, so there was really an accident.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Two vehicles colliding each other,” she then said. “Nothing unusual about that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;What? No, it wasn’t a collision. It was one car that hit that girl,&gt; Cassie corrected, only to us and not to the Controller.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Controller stepped off her bike and trailed onwards by foot. She passed by two female humans standing at the traffic lights, her pace slowing even more than before.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And what happened next?” one of them asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A rhino appeared out of nowhere and smashed into the ambulance. Turned it over completely!” her companion answered. “It was terrifying! My little Benjy was barking hysterically.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ask anyone. It was like a stampede running through here. And that’s not the strangest part. The poor girl who died there?” her friend began, pointing at the accident. “She suddenly disappeared. Just like that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t tell me...did, did she get trampled?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know. I heard nobody has found her body yet. The police are completely useless.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really. This isn’t the first time. The city needs to do something about these animals being on the loose. How often do we hear it on the news?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Speaking of the news, something similar to this happened at the mall last month. It was two big cats-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Rhino?” Elle said to herself. Then she picked up the pace and walked closer to the street, up till the yellow tape and away from any onlookers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Jake,&gt; Marco began with an exaggerated tone, &lt;Do you have something to tell us?&gt; </span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;What? No! I wasn’t here as a rhino. I was with you guys,&gt; Prince Jake defended.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;But that’s your morph. Or is there a wild rhino loose in the city?&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Ok. How many more mysteries are gonna be stacked on top of the last ones?&gt; Rachel groaned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Elle peered back to the gossiping humans. “Doesn’t this sound like the Andalite Bandits?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It fits their MO. Appearing as any Earth animal and sabotaging the Yeerks’ plans. I wouldn’t pass the idea that this Andalite is one of theirs.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So a Bandit did take my DNA. Wonderful.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Hey! Wait a minute!&gt; Marco hollered. &lt;Don’t go pinning this on us now.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;It definitely wasn’t us,&gt; Cassie stated. &lt;We were chasing after those Yeerks for the device.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Argh! I’m so confused with this!&gt; Rachel snapped.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your camera.” The Controller swung her backpack in front of her and took out a strange device I had never seen before.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;What is that device? A weapon? I don’t recognise it as Yeerk technology,&gt; I asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;That’s because it’s not,&gt; Prince Jake corrected me. &lt;It’s a camera. Humans use it to take pictures.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Pictures? Like the images in my television?&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Um, well. Kinda. But still images.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;That does not sound entertaining.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Look at the accident.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She lifted the device up to her right eye, her right hand twisting and turning the cylinder part of it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you see anything out of the original?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;See?&gt; Cassie said, as if that was something abnormal about the phasing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;So she’s using the camera to zoom in on the accident. Huh,&gt; Marco droned. &lt;I’m now appreciating our raptor eyes more than ever.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Ok, then. Do you see anything weird, genius?&gt; Rachel retorted. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;It’s an accident. What’s there strange about it?&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Other than a rhino went through here,&gt; Tobias pointed that out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There’s a blood pool in the center,” Elle then stated what was already obvious to us.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Confirming somebody was run over. By the Volks or by the ambulance…?” she asked herself. “What else?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Um… It’s smeared.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Smeared?” She then exchanged her right eye for her left. “Ah. Something disturbed it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I examined the blood pool again. The Yeerk was correct: something had indeed been dragged off from it, leading towards the ambulance. A minuscule detail we all missed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Our mysterious rhino Andalite, perhaps?” she pondered. “Or maybe something picked up the body.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Ok, that’s something out of the ordinary,&gt; Tobias said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Yeah. If that’s true, then this is starting to look like a rescue,&gt; Prince Jake explained. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;So we’re saying there’s more than one Andalite out there?&gt; Cassie asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I was a bit more hopeful. One Andalite would be good news for me. More than one would be extraordinary.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I was not the only Andalite that crashed on this planet but I wasn’t sure if I was the only one alive, other than my brother dead by the hands of my enemy. I hadn’t attempted to make contact or seek other survivors out on this planet - it would endanger us if the Yeerks were to find out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But this hope was...deceiving. I had to push it back because if I thought any more of it, I might lose focus.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;You know. As much as it’s interesting to see a Yeerk play detective, it’s actually getting eerie how close her assumptions are,&gt; Marco complained.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;That’s if she’s even right. Remember, this is a Yeerk. She could be playing,&gt; Rachel reminded him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Playing with who? Us? She doesn't know we're spying on her.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;All I know is she’s sick in the head,&gt; she spat angrily. &lt;What she’s doing to Elle is just...disturbing.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Heads up, nine o’clock,&gt; Tobias uttered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;It is not that late yet,&gt; I said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;No, to our left. Down there.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A male human was by another traffic light when he noticed the Controller. Immediately, his eyes widened and his skin was much paler than before. He crossed the road, caring less that a car halted and honked at him angrily.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was heading straight for the Controller.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A/N: As mentioned in my last chapter, I'd be uploading the next chapter soon and I did. :D And this mystery is gonna get interesting onwards, I assure ya.</p><p>I guess I'm really proud of the direction I'm going from this chapter onwards as it's very much different from the original and what I had intended. :3 So hope you'll enjoy the detective work by a Yeerk with excellent deduction skills!</p><p>And nah, no way someone with such skill can expect six Andalite Bandits tailing after that same person. That would be too OP in my book.</p><p>Also, I really wanna thank RenewalXVII for their comment in the last chapter. :D Hence this early chapter.</p><p>6/12/20 - First upload.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. THIRTEEN: CASSIE</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>THIRTEEN: CASSIE</strong>
</p><hr/><p>
  <em>
    <span>6:50 P.M.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>The stranger looked hysterical. His buttoned shirt was crumpled and his eyes were bloodshot red. It was suspicious-looking but maybe it shouldn’t have been. He might be another Controller and he recognized Elle from a distance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The outburst frightened Elle that she almost dropped her camera. She turned to him, looking confused. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re alive! H-How?!” the man hollered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Wait. Isn’t that the driver?&gt; Jake asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;You’re right,&gt; Rachel answered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” Elle said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But I saw your body!” the man hollered. “And-and those animals! They took it! They took your body away!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you talking about?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“S-Stay away from me!” The human screamed. He bolted away, never to be seen again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Alright. Maybe he wasn’t a Controller.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What did I do?!” Elle exclaimed loudly, trying to progress what just happened.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her expression ‘switched’. She had that languid mannerism but slightly annoyed this time. “Well, this is a predicament. Those two Controllers weren’t wrong about eyewitnesses.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Those eyewitnesses </span>
  <em>
    <span>are </span>
  </em>
  <span>wrong! We weren’t here. And I’m not a ghost!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She heaved a deep sigh. “It would be wise to improvise... Wear your parka reverse. Hood up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Elle always wore parkas for all her delivery rides, each different from each other. On a sunny or rainy day. The one she had on her that day? She did as she was told, by herself, and turned it inside-out to show a different shade of color compared to its outer one. She then pulled the hoodie over her head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Gloves too. Hide your bike.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She did all that: taking a pair she kept in her pockets and then parking her bike aside. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let’s get dangerous,” Elle said with that sluggard attitude but this time slightly exaggerated.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With her head down and her hands in those little pockets, she walked around the outer perimeter of the accident - trying not to draw suspicion from any bypasser.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>What she didn’t know was a flock of birds watching her. Each of us kept our distance from each other. Too many birds of prey close together would also be suspicious. We changed from perch to perch to keep up with Elle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Really? Keeping a low profile?&gt; Marco mocked. &lt;We can see you.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;This is stupid,&gt; Rachel mumbled. &lt;She’s literally a ventriloquist making Elle talk with her.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;I mean, that’s what Yeerks do. But I see your point,&gt; Marco continued. &lt;Even this is going a bit too far.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Right? It’s revolting. She’s doing all this ‘make-believe’ when Elle’s probably scared out of her mind. This is just a sick joke to her.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Is this really ‘make-believe’?&gt; I asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was odd for a Yeerk to do all that. Creepy and uncalled but...I had never seen so much conviction in one Yeerk.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Of course, this is,&gt; Rachel insisted. &lt;This Yeerk’s a criminal, right? No friends to go to. So she has to make herself better by making Elle do all that for her.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A criminal. Anyone would have the common sense to be apprehensive about a person like that. So I was too. Because this Yeerk could literally be using Elle as a playtoy. Making her speak and act in a way she and the Yeerk were two different people.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So I felt pity for Elle. I can only imagine her feeling so scared as she was forced to watch the Yeerk play both roles.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Ok. We’re going all over the place,&gt; Marco stated. &lt;Are we saying she’s playing with her host or that she’s trying to trick us with this whole ‘she doesn’t know us from the construction site’ show? Which is it?&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That was a good point. Elle might know who we were this entire time. This make-believe could be a ploy to confuse us.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Ax, what do you think?&gt; Jake asked for his opinion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;In all honesty,&gt; he began. &lt;I don’t know what her goal is… If she knew who we were, she would have done something by now. But she is a </span>
  <em>
    <span>Werch</span>
  </em>
  <span>.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Why would that matter?&gt; Marco said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;She’s an offender with no power or sources. No allies. She wouldn’t be able to overpower us anyhow.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;So she’s a sitting duck,&gt; Rachel said. &lt;Good. Makes it easy if she becomes a threat.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That sounded unfair for this Yeerk. She was already punished by her own people, right? And now she had us ready to pounce on her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Elle was at the far left of the crossway and read the road sign there. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Fifth Avenue,&gt; Tobias read. &lt;Didn’t those cops say that name?&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Yup,&gt; Jake replied.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Elle trailed her eyes to one particular building that stood out on one of the streets. It closed down a few years ago. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The old theatre.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Do you think this mysterious Andalite would go there?&gt; I asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;If he even exists,&gt; Marco added.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;I don’t see any other safe location nearby,&gt; Ax remarked. &lt;Logically, that structure would be ideal for them to demorph.&gt; </span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Yeah. After an accident like that, anyone would,&gt; Jake said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Elle approached the theatre, at first stopping at the fence. I thought she would give up but there was a hole in the chain-link for her to widen and crawl under. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I nearly forgot that she wasn’t Elle but the Yeerk controlling her. I knew the real Elle was actually humble and responsible. She wouldn’t think to do things like trespassing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;So the Yeerk’s breaking in,&gt; Rachel said. &lt;Suits her real nice.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Elle stopped at the main door. From where we were, spread out like this, we wouldn’t hear anything she would say.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She peeked at the keyhole with her left eye. She then pulled something from her hair and used them on the lock. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bobby pins?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Lockpicking?&gt; Marco exclaimed, sounding cocky. &lt;Ha. We could get in in just minutes-&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The door opened. And Elle walked right in as quickly as she had picked the lock.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Wait, what?&gt; he uttered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;She’s fast,&gt; I said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Come on.&gt; Jake directed us to an empty spot behind the theatre. &lt;We have to go in somehow.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;As what? I don’t see any open windows to fly in,&gt; Marco said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Well,&gt; I started. And I regretted my suggestion before I even said it. &lt;...We could go in as rats.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Rats? Really?&gt; Rachel groaned bitterly. &lt;I thought I was done with that morph.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;You girls have that DNA. We don’t,&gt; Marco said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Oh,&gt; Tobias suddenly blurted out. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He swooshed off for a second and then immediately back down, catching something in his talons. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;How about this?&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In an alley, you can find all sorts of vermin hidden. To a red-tailed hawk who does his own hunting, catching a big, brown rat in this back alley was a pinch for Tobias. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Ok. So we are going in as rats… I don’t know if this is ironic or simply insane,&gt; Marco droned warily.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Suck it up. I don’t like this either,&gt; Jake said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>We demorphed and split into two groups. The boys gathered around Tobias, ready to acquire the brown rat’s DNA. The poor thing was particularly squeak-screaming. It squirmed agitatedly to break free from Tobias’ deadly, sharp talons.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ew,” Marco groaned. He definitely did not want to do this, for many reasons.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Cassie and I will head in first,” Rachel said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I took a deep sigh and prepared myself. It was something I didn’t want to do. Not after what happened last month with...David. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I began to shrink down, feeling myself fall to the concrete floor. Not from gravity but from the shrinking. I watched white fur sprout all over my body, poking through my morph suit. It was uncomfortable. Like an itch that needed to be scratched.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But I focused. Just as I kept going down, I watched my face stretch and narrow out while I felt the base of my spine elongate and twist into a long, hairless tail.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The itch became almost unbearable at my ears, I had to scratch. But my arms became small, stubby, and contorted. So did my legs. I was down on fours before the ground rushed up to me.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finally, I scratched my ears, feeling them bigger and at the side of my head. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Let’s go,&gt; the second white rat said to me. Rachel found a way in and led us into what I think was the green room. All the doors inside were left unlocked so it was a straight line to the auditorium</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The rat’s instincts were quicker than me. It could smell a human up ahead. It even noticed a brown rat by the main door. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Another rat that didn’t want us invading their territory, the rat’s mind said to me.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Eek!&gt; I yelled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;It’s us,&gt; Jake said. &lt;Do you see her?&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;There,&gt; I said. &lt;On the stage.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was easy to spot her. Standing out in the open as she admired everything around her in a spin. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whoooa,” Elle chided. “I didn’t think it’d be this big inside.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Looks can be deceiving.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Elle was strangely captivated at the sight around her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As if waiting for something to happen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!” she hollered out to the vacant seats.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Whoa!&gt; I never imagined how easy these ears would pick up sound, especially inside an empty hall. It gave me a fright.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Gah! Gave me a heart attack!&gt; Marco uttered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Welcome for one more glamorous night to our wonderful theatre! Even if our doors are closed, this building will hold a special place in our hearts. Our spectators and our troupers.” Elle gave a big, almost theatrical performance on stage. “That is why to commemorate those memories, we will have one show that will blow your socks right off!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Is she talking to us? She’s not, right?&gt; Tobias asked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So without further ado. Let’s give a warm welcome to the fantastic, V’trix! Artiste extraordinaire!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The auditorium was absolutely silent. We were too awestruck to say anything.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Elle chuckled. So soft that only a mouse could hear.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How’s that?” Elle asked herself briskly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her wide smile mellowed down, looking quizzical. “Could use a bit more polish. But I’d say that was a good start.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Polish, maybe,” she declared fiercely. “But once you get into your act, everyone will be smitten by it. They’ll forget the start.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Elle laughed softly. “Perhaps. I’ll be sure to give my best performance then,” she chided, giving that languid expression again. But the small smile stayed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then her smile turned to a grin. “Good.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hm? What’s good?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You laughed,” Elle said in her causal voice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her expression changed suddenly to...surprise. Just for a moment. Then Elle switched back to her usual self.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You haven’t smiled once today. So I wanted to cheer you up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah,” the other ‘Elle’ said. “I see. I hadn’t realized it-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s ok. We had a bad day today.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bad day.” Her smile sunk to a thin frown. “Yet...you still got involved with this war. Because of me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Well, duh! You’re a Yeerk,&gt; Marco snapped.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“V’trix…” When Elle said that, it was...sympathetic.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know what reason the Andalites have for involving us. But I know it has to be because of me. And you...got hurt for that,” she relented. “It was my responsibility to keep you away from these war antics... I failed miserably today.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I mean,” Elle started. “I’m friends with a Yeerk. It’s pretty unavoidable.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;‘Friends with a Yeerk’?&gt; Rachel grumbled. &lt;This is making me sick. Fast.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;I have to agree,&gt; Ax added with spite. &lt;No one would want to be allied with the </span>
  <em>
    <span>enemy</span>
  </em>
  <span>.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was understandable. Ax’s people despised them. The Yeerks took over our planet and people my friends knew close. So of course, some of us resent them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But the way Elle spoke to herself was like she was reciprocating to someone. A real person. It was even stranger when she said the next thing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And I couldn’t have asked for a better friend than you, V’trix.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was quiet but she still smiled. Warmer this time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nor could I have asked for a better x’yta.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>X’yta. It was a Yeerk word I’ve never heard before but it didn’t sound disrespectful. It sounded meaningful and wholehearted. Like how I would address someone as a friend. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When I looked at Elle even more, I actually stopped feeling pity towards her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Because she didn’t look lonely on the empty stage.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A/N: Hello all, welcome to the next update. One of few I'm happy to have written. In the original version, there had been several ideas I wanted to write but never could find the opportunity because of how the previous ideas played into the plot, as well as too much complicated ideas into the mix. Thankfully with this revamp, it was made possible. One of the ideas was the performance, the acting to show a little more insight into these two characters. Perhaps more than the standard perspective the Animorphs give.</p><p>One of my original goals was to never write a Controller or Yeerk the same way as from the books. And in all versions, I've achieved it one shape or form but through this one, I'm able to challenge the Animorphs' ideals and thinking further while showing something that isn't black and white. </p><p>Additionally as a heads-up to my readers, as of this upload date, I won't be able to upload much within the next month because of appointments in early Jan but also work. No worries btw, this story will not go into hiatus (I don't plan on that). But I will be unable to upload for some time. I hope you'll be patient until the next chapter and also hope that I'll be able to upload as soon as I can. </p><p>26/12/20 - First upload.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. FOURTEEN: RACHEL</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>FOURTEEN: RACHEL</strong>
</p><hr/><p>
  <em> 7:01 P.M. </em>
</p><p>I always thought David was twisted. Visser Three is always the evil conquerer we had to fight against. But I found someone that took the icing off the cake.</p><p>All that ‘acting’ Elle was doing - it was wrong. It made me so sick to the stomach. I wanted to demorph, go up to Elle and force that Yeerk out of her. End this right there, right then.</p><p>Ax told us after all. The Yeerk was a criminal. She had nothing. We could take her down easy and Elle could be free.</p><p>But I knew Jake would say we couldn’t risk it.</p><p>“You think there are still old, gaudy costumes in the backstage,” Elle said in her perky voice. “Let’s check it out!”</p><p>Her wide smile softened and she spoke in that other tone. “I thought we came here for an investigation... But I guess we can take a detour.”</p><p>“Yes!” she yelped with a fist pump and disappeared to the back. “I think a tailcoat jacket and top hat suits you.”</p><p>“You do know I’m still perfecting that trick, right?”</p><p>&lt;Stop it,&gt; I snapped. &lt;Just stop this stupid game and tell us what you know already.&gt;</p><p>&lt;I know how frustrated you are. This Yeerk isn’t making it easy on all of us. But until she does something, it’s hands-off,&gt; Jake said. </p><p>Yeah. Elle’s Yeerk needed to make one screwup. And when she does, I would get my chance.</p><p>We hurried deeper into the auditorium, partially leaping off each step until we made it to the stage. On such tiny feet, it could have taken hours but it was only sheer minutes before we found Elle at the back.</p><p>Her face had turned pale. She stood at a clothes rack for a second before she cautiously walked away from it for some strange reason.</p><p>“V’trix,” she called again. Who was she saying that to?</p><p>She switched back to the calm, apathetic self. Cautiously, she pushed the rack aside. It made a loud creaking sound against the rickety, old boards.</p><p>“So... This was where our mysterious Andalite ended up.”</p><p>The smell of iron wasn’t from anything in the musky theatre. It was added recently, behind the clothes rack.</p><p>A small pool of dried blood.</p><p>Something bled there.</p><p>“From the amount back at the accident and here, it’s estimated to be 2 liters. Enough for a human to go into cardiac arrest.”</p><p>“But...where’s the body?” Elle looked about worriedly.</p><p>“The Andalite must have demorphed to heal their wounds.”</p><p>Elle glanced around, this time alerted. Maybe thinking the Andalite was somewhere present.</p><p>“I think the Andalite is long gone by now,” she assured herself. “If you are uncomfortable, we can go home.”</p><p>She shook her head. “No. I’m ok. I was thinking.”</p><p>“About?”</p><p>Why would she ask that? She could just read Elle’s mind.</p><p>No, that wasn’t right. She had no reason to ask that. Why was I falling for this trick?</p><p>“Well. This morning, you said there was an Andalite who died at the construction site.”</p><p>“Might,” she corrected herself. “I don’t know how true the rumor is.”</p><p>“I know. But the site’s not far from here. I just thought...what if this is the ghost of that Andalite?”</p><p>&lt;Really? Now it’s the occult?&gt; I grumbled. And I thought this Yeerk was trying to be clever. Now it was dumb.</p><p>Odd thing was that even she convincingly found it silly.</p><p>“An Andalite ghost? How ludicrous,” she scoffed. “Putting aside the absurdity of the notion, I wouldn’t credit Andalites with the creativity necessary to conceive something like that.”</p><p>&lt;Why, you irritating-!&gt;</p><p>&lt;Ax. Calm down,&gt; Jake said.</p><p>&lt;...Yes, Prince Jake.&gt; I couldn’t blame Ax for being insulted by an enemy of his race.</p><p>“It’s...simply...ludicrous…” She then sounded uncertain in that weird tone, giving a scowl. Like she was uneasy at the idea she just proposed.</p><p>“Ahem.” She cleared her voice. “I don’t believe this has anything to do with the occult. But it is possible there was an Andalite who survived and this is the same Andalite. If I think in that logic...that means this Andalite has been around this area for a year now.”</p><p>&lt;No. That’s just…&gt; Cassie was too stunned to speak. Everyone was.</p><p>What this Yeerk said meant...that Elfangor...</p><p>It wasn’t possible. Because the five of us were the last people who saw him alive. We <em> saw how he died! </em></p><p>&lt;This is a trick. It has to be,&gt; I said. </p><p>&lt;Of course. It’s a Yeerk,&gt; Marco reminded us. &lt;We can’t believe anything she says.&gt;</p><p>&lt;...But what if she said was true?&gt;</p><p>It was the last thing I expected Ax to say. Even more when he said the next thing.</p><p>&lt;Maybe…maybe Elfangor is alive.&gt;</p><p>It became very awkward fast. We didn't know what to say to that. The idea of Elfangor being alive... That was just too unbelievable for the five of us. </p><p>&lt;Ax…&gt; Cassie couldn’t find the right words.</p><p>&lt;It’s possible. Right?&gt; Ax pushed.</p><p>&lt;Ax, it could have been another Andalite. There’s nothing that proves your brother is alive,&gt; Marco explained.</p><p>&lt;How would you know?&gt; he asked. A little contemplating. And a little hopeful.</p><p>&lt;I… It’s just…&gt; There was no way Marco could say it. None of us could. Even after nearly a year, the memory of that night was fresh in my head. Terrible. Horrible.</p><p>We have never talked about his death since we’ve told Ax. Never about the details. We didn’t have a reason to.</p><p>&lt;You said he died. I have acknowledged that. But if it’s a small possibility that he survived somehow...then it’s something we need to look into.&gt;</p><p>No. Elfangor didn’t survive.</p><p>The five of us saw it...</p><p>How...should we tell Ax that it was impossible for Elfangor to be alive?</p><p>I didn’t have the heart to tell him.</p><p>Despite how tense and heavy the atmosphere was, Elle’s Yeerk continued on with her investigation. Acting as a Yeerk detective.</p><p>“With the site and the theatre being the last locations the Andalite was seen, he must be staying within a 300 feet radius in this city. Give or take.”</p><p>&lt;Then...he’s been in this city this whole time,&gt; Ax added.</p><p>&lt;Ax,&gt; Jake stepped in. &lt;This is a Yeerk. Until we know the whole story, we can’t take her word.&gt;</p><p>&lt;I-I…I know. I apologize, Prince Jake. I am not that easily swayed by this foul-mouthed Yeerk.&gt;</p><p>Elle moved further to where the backroom’s exit was. “Forced entry. Hinges completely off.”</p><p>“Did a monster go through here?” she asked.</p><p>“Maybe a second Andalite. But...this was bashed in. Why didn’t they slice off the lock...?”</p><p>&lt;The rhino, maybe? It would make what those bystanders said the truth,&gt; Jake said.</p><p>&lt;So there could be more Andalites,&gt; Ax pointed. I swear his tone was getting more enthusiastic by the second. </p><p>I both liked and didn’t like the news. On one hand, that could mean help. We might get more allies. But on the other...it sounded hopeful and deceiving at the same time.</p><p>I had a bad feeling about it just as I had one when Ax was being optimistic about his brother being alive.</p><p>“Well, well. What do we have here?”</p><p>It was some object we didn’t see until Elle picked it up. It looked like a strange camera that could be held like a gun. No, it looked a bit like a Dracon Beam.</p><p>“What is it?”</p><p>“It’s a Kkal-arpova Sapper.”</p><p>“That’s a mouthful.”</p><p>“Blame on the Yeerk engineer who named this. He was always conceited,” Elle mocked. “It’s a contraction that take away power from any electronic devices. It sends karpova pulses to the object it aims at and interferes with the object's interior power.”</p><p>“So…it makes machines stop working?” </p><p>“The short story, yes… It is peculiar, though. Only Mekorli carry these devices.”</p><p>“Really? What for?” Elle asked again. </p><p>“Crowd control on highways. Mekorli are almost on transport duty. They are on a strict schedule between places. Which means dealing with traffic on this planet. All they need to do is target a few cars and clear the road for themselves.”</p><p>“Oh. I see.”</p><p>&lt;Hold on. You’ve been so talkative this whole time and now you don’t explain that one word,&gt; Marco complained. &lt;What are ‘Mekorli’?&gt;</p><p>The only one thing ‘good’ about these conversations the Yeerk made up was the translations she was giving.</p><p>But it was odd when Marco pointed that out. What was the point of translating? For us? She didn’t know we were there. But she could also be feigning ignorance. We still dunno how much the Yeerk knew about us - if we were Andalites to her or the kids she saw at the construction site-</p><p>No, no. I had to remind myself whatever this Yeerk was doing was a ruse. That's it.</p><p>Thankfully, we have another translator.</p><p>&lt;Mekorli is a Yeerk rank title,&gt; Ax explained. &lt;Specifically for security.&gt;</p><p>&lt;Ah, so henchmen,&gt; Tobias said.</p><p>“Then those Andalites must have stolen this from the Yeerks,” Elle continued her conversation with...herself. Geez, this was getting stupider.</p><p>“Only to have its purpose fulfilled and be dumped here.”</p><p>“Should we keep it?” she asked.</p><p>“Hm… I don’t see why not. The sapper doesn’t just turn off devices. It can turn them on.”</p><p>“Really? So can this whole building be lit up?”</p><p>“For a short while. Let me show a demonstration.”</p><p>With that apathetic face of hers again, Elle raised the sapper up at a stage light in the catwalks.</p><p>
  <em> BZZZTWAaaa… </em>
</p><p>&lt;Ah!&gt; I uttered.</p><p>&lt;My eyes!&gt; I heard Marco shout.</p><p>Everything was bright. Too bright for anyone to see- </p><p>
  <em> FLASH! </em>
</p><p>Elle ran.</p><p>She ran with the face of an athletic runner. She didn’t care that she was being chased by wild animals. By us. Or that she was running out of space on the rooftop.</p><p>&lt;Stop!&gt; I shouted. </p><p>Elle didn’t stop.</p><p>She got to the edge, ready to leap-</p><p>
  <em> FLASH! </em>
</p><p>&lt;STOP!&gt;</p><p>&lt;Rachel!&gt; I heard Jake holler at me.</p><p>&lt;What’s the matter?&gt; Cassie quickly asked.</p><p>I was back in the backroom. I was in rat morph. Not on a rooftop.</p><p>It totally weirded me out to the max. It felt...vivid. As real as where I stood in the backroom. One minute I was in this stuffy place, the next on top</p><p>The only problem was...this was the second time it happened.</p><p>&lt;What are you doing?!&gt; Marco hissed. &lt;Are you trying to give us away?!&gt;</p><p>&lt;What…?&gt; I managed to say. &lt;But...I was somewhere else...&gt;</p><p>&lt;Somewhere else?&gt; Jake uttered.</p><p>&lt;W-What’s happening?&gt;</p><p>&lt;We’re asking you. You suddenly yelled, ‘stop’. Out loud!&gt; Marco shouted.</p><p>I realized my mistake there. If everyone heard that from me, then...</p><p>I looked back at the backstage. Elle was still there. And she was afraid - her right hand tightening her parka collar. </p><p>She wheeled in circles, glancing around for the source of my thought-speech. My voice. </p><p>There was only a humming sound. The pitch getting higher and higher.</p><p>“Wait a minute…” Elle started. “W-Wasn’t that Rac-”</p><p>
  <em> Crack! </em>
</p><p>Something burst. Glass rained down from the now-busted spotlight.</p><p>“Gah!” She jumped, covering herself from the shards. Elle tried to shrink as small as she could in the darkness.</p><p>She still searched for me. She was about to say my name. <em> My name</em>.</p><p>When nothing stirred in the shadows, all she could do was stand still.</p><p>“V-V’trix…” she called. “What’s-”</p><p>Her expression changed again: it was full-on caution. A Yeerk that knew danger was coming.</p><p>“Let’s go,” she said in that weird tone. Packing the sapper into her backpack, she hurried out through the back.</p><p>&lt;This is bad! She has to know about us now,&gt; Tobias uttered.</p><p>&lt;Thanks to Xena here!&gt; Marco snapped.</p><p>&lt;I-I’m sorry!&gt; I apologised. &lt;I-I… It’s just- I saw...&gt;</p><p>I couldn’t tell them what I saw. They’d think I was going crazy! Anything I’d say would be just an excuse.</p><p>Jake was unusually quiet this entire time. I expected him to be just as fuming as Marco was. I screwed up. I just revealed us right in the open! Clear as day!</p><p>But he said nothing.</p><p>&lt;Well, stop losing focus! We gotta catch her now,&gt; Marco said.</p><p>&lt;I know! I know!&gt; I yelled. We quickly scrambled out of the theatre.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A/N: Hello again. I know, I did say I may not be able to update because the 1st 2 weeks, I'll be busy but I managed to finish more writing and decided to upload this one. And this chapter is where it's going divert very much away from my original fic plot. Give or take one or two elements. Moreover, this is where I'll be pulling some heartstrings here and there. :3</p><p>Anyhow, as a reminder, I'll be unable to write and upload for some time. For now, enjoy this cliffhanger I suppose. :D</p><p>5/1/21 - First upload.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. FIFTEEN: MARCO</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>FIFTEEN: MARCO</strong>
</p><hr/><p>
  <em>
    <span>7:16 P.M.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Everything was a disaster. There was no mistaking it: that Yeerk heard us. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Us.</span>
  </em>
  
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;She couldn’t have gone far,&gt; Jake ordered once we were all out of the theatre. &lt;Tobias.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Got it.&gt; And he was off to go bird morph.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;What should we do?&gt; Cassie asked as we began demorphing one by one.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;The answer’s obvious. Catch her!&gt; I said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was no way we could let a Yeerk roam free because of one mistake. We’ve </span>
  <em>
    <span>had </span>
  </em>
  <span>mistakes before, we </span>
  <em>
    <span>had </span>
  </em>
  <span>close calls and we </span>
  <em>
    <span>had </span>
  </em>
  <span>to take measures in order to protect our secret.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;But...she’s…&gt; Cassie was the sympathetic one out of the whole group. She didn’t want this to be a repeat like what happened to David but she also didn’t want to hurt Elle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;This Yeerk is a criminal. A bad guy,&gt; I explained to her. &lt;That’s all the reason we can’t trust her.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;...Alright,&gt; she agreed warily. &lt;We can use wolves… Just don’t hurt Elle.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>We did just that: morph into a pack of wolves in the city and took off.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;She’s across the street,&gt; Tobias said overhead. &lt;You’re in the clear.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With the sun going down, we were just blurs running across the streets. Nobody saw us. It wasn’t long before we picked up Elle’s trail right to a grated alley.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No way out for her. Elle peered back and saw our golden eyes in the dim-lighted alley.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Run.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her pace quickened but her eyes locked on us.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Run!</span>
  </em>
  <span>” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She bolted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>If you are ever unfortunate enough to be pursued by wolves, I hate to tell you this, but you're screwed. Four wolves can take down animals much larger than a human, like elk and bison. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It should go without saying that you can't outrun a wolf. And there's really nothing a human can do to a wolf to deter it. This is an animal that faces a deer kick to the face every time it wants lunch, and humans don't have a chance without some kind of weapon.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So, it should be easy to catch one kid. Right?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That was kinda what I thought. The alleyway she was in was short. Just a staircase up to a locked door. And five wolves blocked the only exit she went through.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;End of the line, Yeerk!&gt; I shouted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Elle didn’t go right. She went up. And up even more.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Hey!&gt; I yelled. After she had climbed the staircase, she climbed up on the stairs’ railings. Then with another leap, she got onto a tiled awning. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Up and up she went, hands gripping on a ledge and pulling herself up until finally, she was gone. Over the roof.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;What the-?&gt; Rachel uttered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;She’s not planning to stay up there, is she?&gt; I asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jake grumbled. &lt;We have to change morphs. Tobias, are there any blind spots up there?&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;The vents. She shouldn’t be able to see you from there - what?!&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;What is it?&gt; Cassie asked, sounding worried.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;She just jumped to the next roof! And she’s still going!&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Tobias! Focus!&gt; Jake yelped. &lt;Everyone, move onto birds! Then back to wolves! Ax, stay as Andalite when you get up there.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Yes, Prince Jake.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Argh! This is annoying!&gt; I glowered. But there was nothing we could do. In fact, this was the first time we were ever forced to switch animals so quickly. We could stay bird and attack her like that one movie. But that wouldn’t slow her down.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Morphing isn’t something you can do quick and simple. Cassie was the fastest morpher out of all of us, the first to reach the rooftop, and even then, it wouldn’t be enough to catch up to Elle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was all changing this, changing that. From muzzle to human nose to beak. Four legs to two arms and two legs to a pair of wings and two talons. Even forcing ourselves to flap our wings and fly was a hassle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So I wasn’t surprised to spot Elle already thirty feet away from us once I demorphed out of my osprey form. She literally ran like Forrest Gump.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ax was the only one who stayed as an Andalite. The rooftops were just flat enough for him to gallop after her, alongside Cassie. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I tried to focus on the wolf again but it was hard not to tear your eyes off Elle. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;We aren't trying to hurt you!&gt; Cassie explained to Elle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Go away, you stupid centaurs!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Elle vaulted onto a railing and then onto ventilation to get away from a wolf at her heels. She knew how to evade. Just don’t let her feet touch the floor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everything on the roofs particularly worked to Elle’s advantage. They blocked Cassie and even Ax from reaching her, giving her just a few more seconds. Elle headed to a small, triangular-shaped rooftop that stood out from the flat surfaces. Just a slide down on the other side and she was gone again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;What is she, a spider monkey?&gt; I hollered once I could thought-speak.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Aw, you two would make a perfect couple!&gt; Rachel joked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Oh, sure. I’ll pick a nice restaurant for our first date.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Cease your running, Yeerk!&gt;  Ax warned, taunting her with a whisk of his tail as he kept on galloping. If it wasn’t for the stuff on the rooftops, Ax would be zooming right up to her and stopping her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We told you everything!” Elle yelled back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everything? What everything?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;I got this!&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Hey! Rachel!&gt; I yelled but she went off somewhere on the rooftops. Why was she losing focus on this one day?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;The Controller first!&gt; Jake ordered. &lt;Rachel said it. She’s got it.&gt; As always, he took the reins as a leader well under harsh situations. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was a matter of time. Elle couldn’t escape with us wolves darting beneath her feet. Eventually, she would run out of things to vault and ‘acrobat’ over. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was trapped.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;No more games, Yeerk!&gt; Rachel hollered from somewhere.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A nine-hundred-pound bear wasn’t something to laugh at. Elle skidded to a stop at the sight of Rachel in Grizzly form. Just one bear swap and she could be done for. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But really. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Her battle morph?!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Rachel!&gt; Jake yelled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;There’s nowhere to go,&gt; Rachel said to the Yeerk. Sure enough, the stalling gave us time to surround her from the back. She had no more exits to go.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The weirdest thing was that Elle wasn’t scared. Her eyes were wide but she was way too calm for a Controller. Other times we’ve fought against human Controllers, they’d easily drop everything and run for their lives.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She peeked to her right. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>What was she planning? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then Elle went into a running start.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Hey!&gt; Rachel hollered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Ax!&gt; Jake called out.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>FWAPPP!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Ax deliberately fired his tailblade at her, aiming for the concrete at her feet. It was supposed to be a harmless threat, enough to scare her to stop. We wanted her alive. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Elle had no fear. Even with one bear, one Andalite and three wolves. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I didn’t know what her plan was. All this time, she kept the momentum going with her skills. The only problem was there really was no escape from us. Where she headed for was to the end of the rooftop. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Don’t tell me,&gt; Cassie started. &lt;She’s going to jump?!&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ok, that was </span>
  <em>
    <span>insane!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“I really hate this,” Elle snapped in that strange tone she had been using whenever she ‘switched’ character.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Hey! Stop!&gt; Rachel shouted. &lt;Don’t do it!&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Stop!&gt; I hollered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>One foot on the edge and Elle rocketed off - arms spread out and knees bent.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I knew what Tobias meant when he said she jumped “that high”. It was terrifying. Crazy. But I admit, it was insanely amazing. Seeing a person do a death-defying stunt like that, like something out of a comic book. And this one girl didn’t even have the morphing power.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was like she flew without wings.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She leapt twenty feet across and landed on the next rooftop, her body in a roll. Just as quickly as she moved about the rooftops, she got up and ran.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;I...I can’t believe it,&gt; Rachel uttered. As one big scary Grizzly bear, she was all too stunned with what she witnessed. &lt;She really jumped.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;I hate to say this but wolves aren't going to cut it,&gt; I pointed, demorphing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rachel was right about changing morphs - though I didn’t agree with her choice. We weren't in flat terrain or a forest. We were in a concrete jungle and this was the Controller’s element. Her advantage. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;I'm going over!&gt; I told Jake, finishing up my gorilla morph.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The building Elle went in was in the midst of being renovated, closed down for the night. But there was the scaffolding for me to get over. Ax went with me too, leaping over the gap. We split ways: him heading inside and me climbing up the scaffolding. The others had to start on ground level rather than risk a long jump in their current morphs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It wasn't a steady climb. The scaffolding shook from my own weight. But opposable thumbs were way handier than paws. Smooth sailing for me until I caught up to her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ahh!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I gave her a fright as I made it to the empty floor she was on.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Would you stop running from us?!&gt; I demanded and chased after her on my knuckles and feet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A running gorilla could easily grab her in just minutes-</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Crack! </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Suddenly, she went through the shakey floor. I froze up at the sound of the wooden planks creaking beneath me. Telling me that any more shifting of weight and they would give way. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>For Elle, it was like someone had fallen through thin ice. She was desperately trying to clench onto something. Anything.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I had to help her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“V’trix,” she called out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Elle-!”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>KA-CRACK!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Hold on!&gt; I bolted. Didn’t matter if the floor got worse. Gravity took me down with her. The only thing I could think was to grab her and use my body as a cushion.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>CRASH!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>It was a tall foyer that we fell through. And it hurt. Having a weight of a hundred and sixty kilograms didn’t mean I could walk away without pins and needles.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But I survived the fall. And I had Elle, my hairy arms holding her tight.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>My heart was racing. I saved the girl. This Controller. And I caught her too!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Ha!&gt; I scoffed. &lt;No more running from us.&gt; </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was then I realized her body went limp.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Hey,&gt; I called. I gently laid her down on the floor. &lt;Hey!&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I lightly patted her on the face a few times. Nope, she was really out of it. Did the fall hit her that hard, even though I took the blow for her?!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Oh. Wake up, please!&gt; I begged. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I mean, she was breathing! And looking at her sleeping face made me sick in the gut. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was a kid. She was just like us, really. And we were prepared to do everything it’d take to get her just like any Controller. We could have really killed her by our hands or had her fall off the roofs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Wake up, you stupid Yeerk! </span>
  <em>
    <span>Wake up!</span>
  </em>
  <span>&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Still nothing. How was I going to explain this to the others-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Is she alright?&gt; Cassie asked from behind. The others were with her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;I’m innocent here,&gt; I quickly defended myself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;What? What did you do, Marco?&gt; Rachel uttered harshly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Nothing! She’s still breathing.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cassie neared closer to the unconscious Controller and examined her. &lt;She’s out cold.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Seriously. You’re a gorilla. You didn’t have to knock her out that hard.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;What-I-! You morphed into a bear!&gt; I yelled at Rachel.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Yeah. But I wasn’t going to do anything to her.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Liar! You totally were going to do something!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Jake sighed. &lt;This day gets better and better…&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Just what is she?&gt; Tobias asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;A Yeerk who has made things troubling and confusing for us,&gt; Ax complained. &lt;We should have detained her earlier.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;We got her now. And we can get the answers we need,&gt; Jake pointed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I couldn’t disagree with him there. We all wanted to know what was going on here and we’ve had enough with our quota of weird things for the day.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But we couldn’t get those answers for a while longer. Until she’d wake up. With the brand new situation on our hands, I had to ask one thing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Sooo… What should we do now?&gt;</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A/N: Hi again, after a long delay and recovery, I'm back to updating this fic. And it's after this point that the story is gonna take into a...whirlwind of fun and confusion for the Animorphs, the readers and me (it sounds ridiculous but even as a writer, I am constantly being spun around with this plot that it's not funny @-@ ). </p><p>It might take a while for the next chapter mainly because I need to be careful with the chapters from here on out. Because one chapter benefits on another chapter and vice-versa. Hopefully, it's not gonna be too confusing as my original aim was. Knock on wood. </p><p>Anyhow, look forward to the interrogation chapters... Those are gonna be a doozy.</p><p>27/1/21 - First upload.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. SIXTEEN: JAKE</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>SIXTEEN: JAKE</strong>
</p><hr/><p>
  <em>
    <span>7:41 P.M.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>We didn’t go back to the barn. Too dangerous to bring a Controller there. We’ve learned our mistake the last time but we needed a place to hold her down for the time being.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Easier said than done. A bunch of animals carrying an unconscious girl in the middle of the city? If this was the suburbs or the outskirts, we’d have cover. Nature spots, rural places, anything. But this part of the city was near the slums. Not the safest place for us to be at. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Someone was bound to notice Elle. So we needed help. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s connecting,” Marco said. The ringtone was faint through the receiver.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Marco and I went to a payphone while the others stayed low and kept an eye on Elle. The one person who could help us was Erek, a friend of ours. Someone we could trust in this war.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Erek used to go to our school but he’s not your ordinary, average kid. He looks, acts and sounds like that but that’s because you see a holographic projection. The real Erek inside that hologram is an android, one of the Chee.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Chee are our allies in this invasion. They may be a pacifist race of androids but they are definitely against the Yeerks, amazingly good at infiltrating our enemy. Any time we are in a pickle, Erek’s the first one we contact. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, is Erek around?” Marco spoke. The call went through. His eyes went wide and he gave me a hand signal that Erek was on the other side. “Erek! Where have you been? You weren’t at your house-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Marco,” I said. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right. Erek, we got an issue and-” Marco’s expression changed. “Wait. What? What are you talking about? Looking for us?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Give me the phone.” There was so much time and I wasn’t going to scrunch around for another quarter. “Erek?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Jake? What’s going on-?</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ll explain later,” I cut him short. “We got an unconscious Controller and we need a safe place to keep her quiet.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh. More Yeerk business. Where are you?</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Near the old abandoned theatre.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh. Then you can use the address again,</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Erek said. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>I can meet you there.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Address? What address?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>You’ve already forgotten it?</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Forgotten? You haven’t-” I forced myself to stop. We didn’t have time to go through whatever Erek was saying. “Nevermind. Can you just give us the address?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The safehouse Erek directed us to was an old studio apartment his ‘father’ bought. On the front, the reason would be for investment or something. But in actuality, it would make an ideal safe base for the Chee - or so Erek said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Thankfully, like he said, it wasn’t too far from us. We rendezvoused with the others and made our way to the address.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>We stayed in our morphs most of the time. It was more to protect our identities from anyone passing by than from Elle. One Controller who knew our secret was enough on our plate.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once we got to the studio, we hustled inside while Marco placed Elle down on a chair at the back. With whatever we could find around the place, Ax tied a rag over her eyes and ropes around her hands. If this was Chapman or any other Controller, they wouldn’t do this gently.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She may be a Controller but she was still a kid, trapped by a parasitic alien. Rachel might be right about this Yeerk toying with Elle. When you’ve been in a similar situation as hers, it becomes a bit personal.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It wasn’t by choice. It was a slip up that got my head right into a Yeerk pool, ending up being controlled by one who used to be Tom’s. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Three days I spent being locked in my head. Taunted by that Yeerk, seeing myself try to escape. If it weren’t for my friends, I would have been far too gone to be saved.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And there we were again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shouldn’t we-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I quickly cut Cassie off with a finger to my lips. We couldn’t talk next to a Controller. I signaled everyone to move to the next room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are we really going to do this?” she asked meekly. “She’s been through a lot.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ve already discussed this,” I pushed. “We can’t let her go.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cassie bit her lower lip. She knew where and how this was going to end.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>We were at war. Our lives were more important than one person. If Elle really did know enough about us, then we didn’t have any choice. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even if I didn’t agree.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She knew our names and she has a Yeerk,” Rachel pointed. “She’s dangerous.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Geez, I wonder why,” Marco groaned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m talking about the construction site!” she snapped angrily. “And yes! I know! It’s my fault for what happened at the theatre.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I stepped in. I had to, always as the leader, or else nothing would get done. “Nobody’s blaming anyone. We got her. Now we need her to talk. There are too many unexplained things going on here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And her actions doesn't mean she knows us,” Cassie jumped in. Too quickly. “Everything she has done up to this point pretty much mirrors what we're doing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And I said it before,” Rachel began. “She could be faking it or has some of her marbles lost. She <em>is</em> a criminal.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“B</span>
  <span>ad news all around,” Marco vouched. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aren’t you banking too much on this Yeerk because of that name?” Cassie asked. “What about Elle’s mugging? Or how those cops treated her.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Doesn’t mean anything. She could have other Controllers working for her. It’s part of an act,” he said so confidently.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Marco sent me signals with his eyes. If I had to guess, he wanted me to vouch on that theory. It was very clear that he didn’t believe the words coming out of his mouth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But honestly...I couldn’t buy it either.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;I find that hard to believe,&gt; Ax said it instead of me. &lt;A </span>
  <em>
    <span>Werch </span>
  </em>
  <span>is an outcast to her people. A </span>
  <em>
    <span>Werch </span>
  </em>
  <span>has no friends or resources to compute us.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And that’s where I have to stop ya, Ax. You’ve always told us to be careful. But for this Yeerk, we can turn a blind eye?” Marco asked. “We shouldn’t take any chances with this one.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;I am not disagreeing with you. However, it would be too immature to give all the credit to just one </span>
  <em>
    <span>Werch</span>
  </em>
  <span>. We do need, as you humans say, the whole story.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I sighed. “This would be a lot easier if she just told us everything back at the site.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Since when do Yeerks make it easy for us?” Marco droned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Shush!&gt; Tobias hushed us for some reason. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>We stopped talking. We listened. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It started off as a groan from the next room. Then some shifting. Like someone trying to move.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;She’s waking up,&gt; he warned us.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Which meant it was time to get the show rolling. As much as we didn’t want to. “Right now, we need to get to the bottom of this,” I whispered. “That’s why we’re doing this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright Ax,” Marco declared softly, giving a light pat on the shoulder. “She’s all yours.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But gently. This is a kid, Ax. A kid,” I told him quietly. “She’s already dealing with that Yeerk in her head.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He nodded understandingly. The rest of us morphed into animals as backup while Tobias stayed outside to look out for Erek.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Elle didn’t stir up at first. Whatever Marco did, he really knocked her out cold. Ax waited patiently for her to lift up her head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nothing happened. He directed an eyestalk at me.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Start,&gt; I ordered.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>FWAPP! THUD!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hh!” She jerked up in her seat from the sound of Ax’s blade hitting the floor. Elle panted heavily from fright until she slowly registered something was wrong.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She tried to look but she couldn’t with the blinds. She tried to move her hands too. Couldn’t do that either.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For some reason, however, she wasn’t panicking. It reminded me of how back then, the Yeerk in my head didn’t lose his cool when I was first tied up. Showing me his fantasies that he would rise up with the information he gained from just looking into my head. He’d have over us on a silver palate to Visser Three. He laughed at me. Mocked at me that everything my friends did to keep him in control was pointless.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But I won that fight. I won back my freedom.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I expected Elle’s Yeerk to do the same.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Anyone there?” Elle called out, sounding frustrated.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nobody responded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey. Are you the same ones from before?” she demanded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;From before?&gt; Cassie repeated those words.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Shh,&gt; Marco exclaimed softly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>We couldn’t take anything from a Yeerk’s mouth. But there was something just off when Elle said that. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I couldn’t put my finger on it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is the same place, isn’t it? We told you everything!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>We kept silent. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Answer us!” Elle shouted again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then her body relaxed. Like someone was taking over. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then came the strange tone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who are you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Yeerk stopped using her facade.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I nodded to Ax and he moved forward. His hooves clopped loudly, purposefully, menacingly on the wooden floors. Ax circled around the girl on purpose, letting the Yeerk know who she was dealing with.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This was all an act. I told myself. Just an act.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I was asking a lot from Ax to play this role. None of us could do it, not when you were interrogating a kid. A kid </span>
  <em>
    <span>your age</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was too much. But Ax was determined to do the hardest task for us.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;You are in my power now, Yeerk,&gt; Ax said with exaggerated Andalite arrogance. &lt;No one will come to save you.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Despite the threats, the Yeerk was strangely calm. Unnaturally. She didn’t shudder or whimper.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She just listened.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;You will answer all of my questions. Or else your life will be cut short.&gt; Ax drew the blade close to her neck. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Yeerk still didn’t yield. She was stiff as a tree in her seat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Now tell me. Where did you find that device? How did you know about us?&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Two major questions. But she said nothing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Answer me, Yeerk filth!&gt; Ax roared.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A deep sigh broke the tension in an instance. Finally, we could get our answers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This again?” Elle scoffed. “Can we just skip the interrogation and get to the point?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ax didn’t know how to respond to that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She sounded bored. She looked bored. She even acted bored.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This wasn’t what I was expecting from this Yeerk.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve already answered all of your questions. I know just as much as you do, Andalite.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Wait. We do?&gt; Marco said quietly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is the same stunt you pulled from before. Just bring out your leader and be done with your games.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I nearly jumped out of my fur when she said 'leader'. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Did she mean me? Did she really know about us?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ax took mere seconds to regain back his composure. &lt;You do not understand the gravity of the situation. There is no point in lying to me-&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why would I lie?” Elle asked with absolute clarity. “You Andalites approached us this morning.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A/N: Hello all, sorry for a very long delay because my IRL work had to take priority this and last whole month so I couldn't upload. And it was also the main plot because since it involved timetravelling and despite my effort to prepare the later chapters as much as possible, I was always afraid of missing something that I'd have to edit back into the previous chapters. So it was a constant check over from this chapter onwards, to make sure it flows right and is consistent in plot elements. </p><p>With that said, I'll still have to focus on my IRL work for another few weeks. But that said, I plan to upload the next chapter right after this one. No point leaving it at a cliffhanger then and months later update. I'll still take my time here and there with the chapters to make sure my plot goes consistent without having you readers lose the plot. Fingers cross this goes swimmingly.</p><p>Anyhow enjoy and look out for the next chapter soon.</p><p>16/4/21 - First upload.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0018"><h2>18. SEVENTEEN: AX</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>SEVENTEEN: AX</strong>
</p><hr/><p>
  <em>
    <span>7:57 P.M.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>The interrogation should have been done quickly. Five Earth minutes and I would have this Yeerk ‘spilling the beans’ - a proverb humans use that meant giving the truth. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Prince Jake handed me an important task. It was important to him. And I was committed to seeing it through to the end.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Admittedly, I had never done an interrogation. I was never the instigator. But I knew how they were done to an extent. Before I was stranded on Earth, I was on board the Dome ship, GalaxyTree, led by my previous and deceased War-Prince, Old Hoof and Tail. I mean, Nerefir.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Old Hoof and Tail told stories of his Aristh days whenever he was in a good mood. Which was often rare. And they were far more interesting than my classes in my homeworld.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The trick was to show the Yeerk fear. Their host was incapacitated. There was no escape. Their end would meet the tail blade if they were to leave their host. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The </span>
  <em>
    <span>Werch</span>
  </em>
  <span> should be shuddering. She should be submissive. Her life was on the line.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But she wasn’t.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;This morning?&gt; Cassie said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Hold up. We didn’t approach her. </span>
  <em>
    <span>She </span>
  </em>
  <span>approached us,&gt; Marco insisted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;We did no such thing, Yeerk filth,&gt; I stated, raising the volume in my voice. &lt;Any more lies out of you and it </span>
  <em>
    <span>will </span>
  </em>
  <span>be the end for you.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Swssh! </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>My tail blade ‘sang’ as I drew it close to her neck. Despite how rigid she kept herself in her seat, her right hand reflected her terror. Gripping tight to the chair’s arm.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;So know your place, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Werch</span>
  </em>
  <span>,&gt; I warned. &lt;You are not fooling anyone-&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And neither are you,” the Yeerk countered back. “Why is there a need for a second interrogation? There’s not even a point in blinding me. You’re Andalites.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her reaction stunned me. Nothing in Nerefir’s stories has prepared me for this. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Moreover, this Yeerk was more analytical than most Yeerks we’ve faced. Terrifyingly so. The only reason we put the blindfolds on was for a precaution to protect my friends’ real identities. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let me speak to your leader. I have had enough of this game.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I stood my grounds. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Silence, Yeerk!&gt; I demanded. &lt;You are speaking to me.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really? Because you just gave me my answer. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Again.</span>
  </em>
  <span> You said “</span>
  <em>
    <span>we</span>
  </em>
  <span> did no such thing”.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>My two eyestalks wheeled to Prince Jake. What should I do?! This was going poorly because of that one small slipup!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Should we bail?&gt; Marco asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No, no. We shouldn’t. If we’d stop here, then it would be fruitless. I heaved a deep breath and glared back at the Yeerk.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;We are at war here. You do not-&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, yeah!” the Controller cut me short with her regular voice. “We don’t have any mercy for this insolence.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;What-?&gt; I uttered. I was about to say exactly that. How did she know?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please! You’re a broken record!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The outburst took me by surprise that I actually staggered back. Why was this Yeerk persistent in acting as her host?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shhh…” the Yeerk hushed. But it wasn’t towards us. All of a sudden, she huffed through her nose and muttered, “stupid centaurs.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I couldn’t comprehend any of this. I couldn’t predict what this Yeerk was planning.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Ax, don’t listen to her. She’s messing with your head,&gt; Rachel snapped.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I knew that. I couldn’t let her get to me. I gave a passing glance to Prince Jake. The silence he gave was telling me he was deciding: pull out or keep going.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I couldn’t let him down. I puffed up my chest and regained my composure.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;You’ve forgotten who has your life. I'm the one in control.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ok. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Now</span>
  </em>
  <span> it is becoming a broken record,” the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Werch </span>
  </em>
  <span>scoffed with a bored tone. “You’re saying the exact lines, back to back. Are you reading off a script?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Cease your mockery! I am the one in charge!&gt; I hollered. Never have I had a Yeerk get under my fur.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, you’re not,” she countered. “If you were, you wouldn’t be interrogating a </span>
  <em>
    <span>Werch</span>
  </em>
  <span>. You would have killed me the moment we first met.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I staggered back. She had caught me in another lie.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was true. A </span>
  <em>
    <span>Werch </span>
  </em>
  <span>would yield nothing valuable to an Andalite. Out of the three incidents I’ve heard, only one was placed in the Andalites’ grasp. However, the outcome was obvious. That </span>
  <em>
    <span>Werch </span>
  </em>
  <span>was useless and later, extinguished. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nerefir was in charge of interrogating that </span>
  <em>
    <span>Werch</span>
  </em>
  <span>. He ended that Yeerk’s life.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Controller relaxed back in her seat. “I know you are all there, Andalite Bandits. So let me speak to your leader.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;You are overstepping your boundaries-&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Enough,&gt; Prince Jake ordered. &lt;Ax, we have to stop.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I was angry. Disgraced. I couldn’t get what we needed. I couldn’t fulfil a task for Prince Jake. I backed down reluctantly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But I kept all four eyes on the enemy in the room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;You know she’s bluffing,&gt; Rachel pushed privately.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;This far in? Talk about committing to a story,&gt; Marco said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;But what if she isn’t?&gt; Cassie asked. &lt;And the cops too. What if there really could be a group of Andalites on Earth?&gt; </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She waited for us to agree. However, I could tell that despite their being in animal morphs, Rachel and Marco were still skeptical.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;I dunno,&gt; Marco glowered. &lt;Why now?&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Does it matter? We’ve been waiting for Andalites to come to Earth and fix this war problem. And now we have a group out there,&gt; Cassie explained. &lt;This could be it.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Something about this isn’t right,&gt; he continued. &lt;What does it have to do with this kid and that device anyway?&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Maybe Elle’s Yeerk might know. She just said those Andalites already asked the questions.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;That’s if anything she says </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> the truth,&gt; Rachel rebuked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Prince Jake sighed. &lt;Ax, you’re going to have to coach me. Rachel, if she tries anything, get ready.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I could tell - he didn’t like the idea of forcing information out of someone from his own species. A human child no less. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;I am the leader,&gt; Prince Jake said to the Yeerk. I believe he was trying to imitate on how we Andalites enunciate.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was poor, however. But enough for the Yeerk to buy it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Again. Is there really a need for introductions? You’ve said this before,” the Yeerk complained.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>How disrespectful! She should know her place! &lt;You-!&gt; </span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Ax,&gt; Prince Jake said privately. I kept my exasperation in. &lt;Do you know who we are?&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The Andalite Bandits. Who else?” the Controller started. “I have told you before. I am not as oblivious as my people.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;She really isn’t giving up,&gt; Rachel whispered to us. &lt;She has to know. Elle almost said my name.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Prince Jake was hesitant to continue. Some facts the Yeerk had given contradicted others in a way. If she were at the site, she would have pointed that the Andalite Bandits were not completely Andalite. I was the only one whereas my friends were humans. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But she still addressed all of us as Andalites, even with the blindfold on.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;You approached us at a location a few hours ago. A construction site.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Jake,&gt; Marco hissed privately. &lt;You sure about this?&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was a very dangerous risk for Prince Jake to take. But I had confidence he knew what he was doing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Again with this construction site nonsense,” the Yeerk snapped. “We were not at that location today.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Do you have proof?&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Behind the blindfolds, the Yeerk looked puzzled. “Hm. I never took you Andalites to want evidence.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Answer the question,&gt; Prince Jake pushed harshly. &lt;Can you prove you weren’t at the site?&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And if I did, are you willing to accept them?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Depends on your evidence.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Yeerk sighed tiredly. It did not matter if she put us on a stalemate. We would do the same to her. She couldn’t compromise with us-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Takeout,” she suddenly exclaimed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;What?&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Check the bins. You Andalites threw away the takeout boxes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;If this is a trick, Yeerk-&gt; Rachel started.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Check it!” the Controller hollered in her host’s voice, being unusually determined.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Marco scoffed. Then he got a glance from Prince Jake. &lt;Seriously?&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Prince Jake was serious.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Fine.&gt; Marco disappeared behind the kitchen counter, searching for this elusive ‘bin’. &lt;Found it.&gt; He brought up a small black container. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;It’s empty,&gt; Prince Jake said openly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What? But, we were doing a delivery. You Andalites came and took us here earlier. This is the same place, isn’t it?!” the Controller exclaimed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;We have warned you before. Lies aren’t going to help you,&gt; Prince Jake urged.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re the ones being the crooks here. You’re literally wearing people’s faces around hours ago and pretending to be them! Mine too!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Enough, already. How long is she going to keep this up?&gt; Rachel grumbled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fine!” the Controller suddenly yelped. “I have proof we weren’t at the site. Physical proof! Check my backpack. Front pocket. The receipts are there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It took a moment for Prince Jake to give in and nod to Marco to do so but I didn’t see the relevance. Regardless, Marco found the Controller’s backpack and pulled out a stack of paper put together in a bundle. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;And what does this prove, Yeerk?&gt; I taunted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Seriously. Do you even-” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Controller stopped herself with a shake of her nod. She then spoke with that odd tone of hers. Calmly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Timestamps. This human’s establishment keeps a record for every delivery it makes. I presume you know this city well enough to cross-reference my locations for today.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Yeah, not doing that. This is too convenient for her,&gt; Rachel privately said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;I’d believe that, too. Except...this is my receipt,&gt; Marco whispered to us, lifting one piece of paper for us to see. &lt;It has my address on it.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Maybe she forged them?&gt; Rachel tried to counter it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Dad made that delivery call today. And don’t go saying he’s working with the Yeerks.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Well, she can’t be telling the truth.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Wait,&gt; Prince Jake started and repeated what Rachel pointed out. &lt;You could have forged these. Get your friends to help.&gt; </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What-! Why would we-?!” The Controller exhumed out a muffled groan with her lips sealed tight. Her mannerism implied that she was trying to compose herself. A poor job at that. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She took in another deep breath before speaking in the second tone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That's impossible. You Andalites know the answer.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Just because you’re a </span>
  <em>
    <span>Werch?</span>
  </em>
  <span>&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She nodded. “What do I gain from faking documents?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nothing. Even my friends could see that line of logic.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Now can you explain what you Andalites want from me </span>
  <em>
    <span>again?</span>
  </em>
  <span> I’ve said everything I know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rachel growled softly. &lt;You haven’t told us anything.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And I will keep repeating until it’s clear to you I am speaking the truth.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Ha. The truth. Yeah, right.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;This isn’t going anywhere, Prince Jake,&gt; I informed him privately. &lt;She is spinning us in circles.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Yeah…&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Erek is here,&gt; we heard Tobias silently inform us from outside.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Finally. Maybe he can shed some light,&gt; Marco said privately.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Agreed.&gt; Prince Jake then spoke to the Yeerk, &lt;We’ll put this conversation on hold.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Say what?!” the Controller said with her normal voice, expressing a human’s look of confusion. “This isn’t a phone call, you blue freaks!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;There is no point in pretending to be your host,&gt; I stated. &lt;Your facade was already broken from the start.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She frowned angrily. I was pleased to see that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Sit tight, Yeerk. But then again, you’re not going anywhere,&gt; Prince Jake added as a nice remark at her before we exited out of the studio apartment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey!” she uttered. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Hey!</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I was the last to leave, shutting the door with a satisfying kick.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>You stupid centaurs!</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I ignored her.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A/N: Hello again. Next chapter uploaded. </p><p>This was a fine revamp from the original chapter I had written. Less chunks too that gives me space to focus on the more important things. :) Hope you enjoy these two chapters! I'll see if I can upload the next one next week.</p><p>16/4/21 - First upload.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0019"><h2>19. EIGHTEEN: MARCO</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>EIGHTEEN: MARCO</strong>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <em>
    <span>8:10 P.M.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Erek. The one android, who could help us fight against the Yeerks. We couldn’t ask for a better ally in the middle of this war. So he was a welcomed sight for us when we stepped out of the house. Ax stayed behind to keep watch on the Controller.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I see you got your hands full.” He smiled just like any young human being would do. He then lowered his voice. “Let me help.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The air around us shimmered. Erek’s ‘human’ self vanished. In his place was an android of chrome and ivory structure, shaped with canine features. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>This was his hologram extending out around it. It could conceal us in plain sight and block noise inside and out. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ain’t Chee technology something that it was still downright scary? But who’s complaining? It gave us a moment to demorph.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, Erek. You’re a lifesaver today,” I said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sounds pretty bad for this one Yeerk. Should I worry?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Since when have we ever been scared of them?” Rachel exclaimed boldly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The only bad thing is how disjointed everything is,” Jake pointed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Or how uncooperative she is. She’s still trying to pretend to be Elle.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not about her, Rachel. It’s about these Andalites. They might really be on Earth.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They are here,” Cassie said, looking pleased. Looking thrilled, even. Enough for her to give a light laugh. “They can help us with the war.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was so hard to believe it. Andalites. Right here in the middle of this invasion. We had been waiting for the Andalites to come for nearly a year to come and take care of the Yeerks. And finally…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But the more I thought about it, the more skeptical I grew.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ok. Let’s say there really are Andalites here. Why haven’t they contacted Ax?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nobody could give me an answer to that. The mood in the whole room softened down. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was harsh but I had to ask the hard questions here.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why the secrecy? And most of all, why this Controller?” I asked. “If what Ax said that Andalites don’t care about a </span>
  <em>
    <span>Werch,</span>
  </em>
  <span> then why this particular one?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;It is strange,&gt; Tobias said. &lt;There’s nothing that says Elle’s Yeerk is important.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She’s not a Visser. Or a Sub-Visser.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We don’t even know how long these Andalites could have been here in the first place,” Rachel said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Could,” Cassie began, a little uncertain but she said it anyway. “Could they be survivors from Ax’s ship?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;It could be possible,&gt; Ax answered. &lt;I do not know who survived the crash.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wasn’t she carrying something at the construction site? That thermo-looking thing?” I asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah. She was,” Rachel confirmed it. “She had it under her jacket.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I snapped my fingers. “That’s it. The Andalites were after that thing too. Elle had it and ran away from the Andalites before she bumped into us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But the Yeerks were after her too. And couldn’t the Elle we saw this morning be an Andalite too?” Cassie said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s what Elle’s Yeerk said. We can’t take anything she says for granted.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Agreed. Nothing out of her makes any sense,” Rachel added. “Those police Controllers had a name for that device, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They called it ‘Dzual Cell’,” I continued. “What is it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Erek, have you heard anything like that from the Yeerks?” Jake asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Erek’s android head jerked back. Then it tilted to one side. “Not until recently. But yes, we did find something about this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whoa. That’s fast of you,” I said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What did you find out?” Jake kept things on track.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not much about this battery’s development. The Yeerks must have really been hushed about it till now. But we did just learn about the transport a few hours ago. The truck originally came from Seattle and just arrived in this city this morning. Then it stopped at the highway.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stopped? By what?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“By you, actually,” he said, still being serious this entire time. “The Yeerks classified it as an Andalite Bandit attack.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rachel’s hands shook as if gesturing a big no out of her before her palms went up. “Hold on. We didn’t stop any transport truck. We didn’t even know about this till now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, human witnesses there took it as a car accident. Maybe it was a false report?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> I frowned. “We’ve been seeing a lot of ‘accidents’ today.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“When did it happen? The highway one,” Jake asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Around 3:40,” Erek replied. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Does anyone remember what time Elle’s accident happened?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe 4? I got back home around 4:30,” I said. I did see the clock after I swooshed right into my bedroom. I then remembered my experience after that. “Then Elle came to my doorstep about 10 minutes later.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If the battery came from that truck and Elle had it at the site, then the timing fits.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tobias took a moment to clean his feathers. &lt;After that, those Controllers took that device and disappeared off from the highway.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe to where that truck was supposed to go. Erek. Can you find out where the device is right now?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I already have. It’s at a place called ‘Tus'li 9’.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oh, great. Another alien term we don’t know. “What’s that?” I asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s a type of Yeerk research facility, well-hidden from anyone. But extremely hard to break in. Not even us Chee can’t get in.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rachel slouched back, looking surprised. “Really? Wouldn’t it be a cake walk?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“In normal circumstances, sure. But even the Yeerks don’t allow just any of their own kind in. Only the ones with highest privileges can have access.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Namely Vissers,” Jake said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And it’s not just that. They have all of the tightest security available that it’s just impossible for a Chee to waltz in or get out. Even I don’t think you guys can sneak in with your morphs.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Huh. An indestructible Yeerk base. That’s problematic,” I grumbled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ll figure something out. We always do,” Cassie assured.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So where is this T’usli 9 at?” was the next question Jake asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“At the nuclear power plant. The one by the coastline,” Erek answered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They have a facility below </span>
  <em>
    <span>a nuclear plant?</span>
  </em>
  <span>” I uttered. “No. Of course, they would have.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, at least this time we know where it is. Thanks to Erek here. You’re actually ahead of the game,” Rachel droned with a grin. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shouldn’t I be the one to say that to you?” Erek oddly said that. “It was impressive that you guys were right on the money about that Controller.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I furrowed my eyebrows. “What do you mean?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“About what happened on Fifth Avenue. Where the battery was last seen.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Something was wrong. I couldn’t understand why. But what he said just nagged at me in the wrong place. It nagged at everyone!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ok. Now I’m very confused,” Rachel exclaimed, now annoyed. “When did we tell you that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Erek couldn’t express any human emotion without his hologram. But with how quiet he became after I said that? That was odd. He looked at us one by one.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was yesterday. You guys told me about what happened at the site.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>We all looked at each other.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yesterday? Erek, we haven’t seen you till now,” Jake said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Erek’s head jerked back. “But you have. You contacted me to meet up here. Why else would you have brought this Yeerk here again?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Again?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes. That was the whole reason I gave you this address. You needed a safehouse.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Just like that, everything felt...foreboding. Like a ball dropped to the floor and the whole room became still.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was all wrong.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ok. Erek. Joke’s over. Now’s not the time to be all cryptic,” I droned. Just to get some normality back in the room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He folded his metallic arms. “I am not joking. I did exactly what you guys asked for.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And what was that, exactly, Erek?” Jake asked cautiously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where this battery was being taken. You asked me to look into it, Jake.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Silence… Just dead silence.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Didn’t you?” he asked. “You even told me I didn’t need to find out more about this battery. Because you already knew.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Erek… That wasn’t me,” Jake said sternly. “We didn’t meet you this morning.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>No one spoke.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>We were spooked. All five of us. And an android, I don’t know what without Erek’s hologram but he had to be affected too. Because he looked at Jake, at me, then the girls, and finally back at Jack.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This revelation we made? It was absolutely terrifying...</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I really wanted it to be a Chee joke. A prank. Anything.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s going on here?” Rachel said warily.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jake took off. Like he had a mission on the go. He was out the door and we followed him to the trash bins outside.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Jake?” Cassie called but he already tore open the first lid. Then the second.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I knew it was pointless to ask but I did anyway. “It’s empty, right?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He tipped the second bin over.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Out tumbled white cardboard boxes with food stains. Enough for one person’s meal. And all of them had a familiar logo I had seen every time that it got eerie very fast.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Those...are Yan </span>
  <span>Fú Wok boxes,” Cassie said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, Erek. Did you by chance order some from there?” Rachel asked weakly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Erek shook his robotic dog head. “I don’t have a reason to do that, as you can clearly see why. Unless it’s for a facade.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This was getting scarier by the minute. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>I felt goosebumps. No, no. Anyone could just dump takeouts from one specific restaurant in the middle of the city.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Then Jake pulled out one more thing from the black bin. It was a worn-out parka, about the same baggy size that our crazy Controller wears during delivery.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was covered in blood.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That...that’s the jacket Elle wore at the site,” Rachel said warily.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Then those shoes.&gt; Tobias didn’t need to be human to point out the obvious. The sneakers the ‘other’ Elle wore at the site were under the boxes on the ground.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ok… Ok, ok,” I started. “</span>
  <em>
    <span>What</span>
  </em>
  <span> is happening today?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait.” Cassie wearily rummaged in one of the pockets, pulling out yet another surprise. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>An old vintage watch.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It wasn’t something that any random person would carry, let alone even a kid like Elle. But I assumed it belonged to someone in her family. You’d see these kinds of watches on auction. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was also the second thing Elle said that got stolen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Takeout. My address on a receipt. A bloodied jacket. A pair of sneakers. And a stolen watch.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>You know. Before all this, I wasn’t convinced. Yeerks lie. Yeerks are deceitful. Yeerks couldn’t be trusted. And when I got my receipt, I still wasn’t convinced. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But with the evidence piling up, I’d be stupid to keep believing it was some cover-up. Some plan. Everything we had all lined up with what Elle’s Yeerk had been saying.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tobias was deadly silent. Jake was wrapping his mind on this. Rachel was entirely disgusted and angry at the Yeerk a while ago but that all died out. Cassie was particularly trembling so badly, she wrapped her arms tightly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was downright chilling.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Erek. Who else have you told about this place?” Jake then asked, as if needing some confirmation. Anything to debunk our revelation. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Only to you guys. The other Chee don’t know yet.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then… The Elle we saw this morning...”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Isn’t the same person,&gt; Tobias finished for him. &lt;There are two of them.&gt;</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A/N: Hello again. </p><p>Here's the next chapter up since I finally got a bit of downtime to do a post. And this is actually the breakpoint where the story really does differ from my original plot I had waaaay back. A much streamlined but intrigued direction that I think you're gonna enjoy (without too many confusing elements, I do really hope). But also really turn up the mystery just a bit.</p><p>One thing I'm gonna struggle onwards is that because some plot elements are gonna be "back and forth" in a sense, I'm gonna constantly make sure they won't be off to make them consistent to the plot's timeline (ahahahaha with what I'm dealing, that's hilarious it hurts...). So if something seems off somewhere onwards, let me know. </p><p>Anyhow I hope you enjoy this chapter. And I'll see you again in the next.</p><p>25/4/21 - First upload.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0020"><h2>20. NINETEEN: RACHEL</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <strong>NINETEEN: RACHEL</strong>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <em>
    <span>8:17 P.M.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>It was surreal. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Like something out of a mystery show my dad watched. I think it was called Twin Pines? Anyway, it was a show that even if you rewatched it several times, you’d still be scratching your head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It wasn’t that scary but it was still unsettling.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is insane,” Marco uttered. “That Yeerk is telling the truth?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even I found that hard to believe. But it was even harder for me to ignore the evidence we had.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“...Her DNA,” Cassie pointed out that one detail. “They did acquire it to take the battery.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Isn’t that dangerous?” I asked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;You can’t just pick any random host off the street like that. Even we wouldn’t do it,&gt; Tobias added.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But they did. They even took Marco’s DNA,” Cassie added. “To get close to Elle.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait, wait, wait,” Marco stopped her. “Wouldn’t I have known?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“When we acquire animal DNA, animals go into a trance. If they took ours while we were sleeping, we wouldn’t have noticed it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Still,” Marco started. “Just because we’re her customers?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The same can be said about them making Erek believe they were us,” Jake pointed. “That means they took my DNA.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes…” Erek stepped in. “If what you said is true, then I really let them go without knowing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You couldn’t have known.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ok. These Andalites took our faces to get close to Elle. Because she’s a kid. I get it,” I said. “But why this one Controller?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe she’s important for another reason. Like she has some special benefit other Yeerks don’t have,” Marco tossed that thought out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I frowned. “And what is that ‘special benefit’? Her being a </span>
  <em>
    <span>Werch?</span>
  </em>
  <span> How can that help?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I dunno! It’s all I got.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then we’ll have to ask Elle,” Jake suggested. “Erek. Find out what else you can about this battery and this Yeerk.” He prepared himself to talk to Elle again, then stopped and wheeled back. “And if you meet our doppelgangers again, don’t tell them anything. Just get away from them if you can.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What if it’s you guys instead?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jake’s frown was thin and tight. It was obvious how annoyed he was at Erek’s question and even more annoyed that he had no good answer to it. “...Good point.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They may have our faces but they don’t know us,” Marco then told them. “Just ask us something that only the </span>
  <em>
    <span>real us</span>
  </em>
  <span> would know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Erek pondered with a metallic finger to where his holographic human chin would be. “Oh! Like the time you and Jake snuck into a concert as canines.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Marcos’ face was pained, even with his agonized smile. “Yeah. Sure. Let’s go with that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Erek left while we went back inside and morphed back to our battle forms. Meanwhile, we gave a brief rundown to Ax in the kitchen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;So how’s our prisoner?&gt; Marco asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ax directed one eyestalk to the room we locked Elle in. &lt;She has settled down.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>We walked right back into the room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you done with your little entourage?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;You-!&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I didn’t know why Ax was upset but we jumped in anyway. Teeth and claws ready. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Yeerk was defenseless. She was </span>
  <em>
    <span>supposed</span>
  </em>
  <span> to be tied up. But her hands were free - one of them clearly holding the rolled-up rope and the blindfolds we had used on her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Ax!&gt; Jake ordered privately.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>FWAPPP!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>A freed Yeerk was just as bad news as a Yeerk knowing who we were. Ax’s tailblade aimed right at her throat. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Rather careless to leave your captive alone,” she started. Unfazed by the threat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;How did you free yourself?&gt; Marco uttered. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;There was nothing on you,&gt; I barked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“For starters. You Andalites should have learned to tie a better knot.” </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Flump! </span>
  </em>
  <span>Elle tossed the rope at our feet, her way of rubbing it in our faces. And boy, was Ax mad. He didn’t say anything but his front hooves were trotting madly on the floorboard, at that display.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>What made it frustrating was that she didn’t even care if she was caught.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Why are you still here?&gt; Jake began, trying to assess the situation. &lt;You could have escaped.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Run. It would take less than three minutes to recapture us,” she stated the obvious.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;She’s not wrong,&gt; Tobias whispered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;At least she knows she can’t outplay us,&gt; Marco said privately.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Alright... What do you want?&gt; Jake asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Elle’s Yeerk glanced around. She looked like she was evaluating us. “This constant probing of yours is both unnecessary and persistently astounding. To abduct us twice and break our agreement.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;We didn’t agree on anything, Yeerk,&gt; he said to her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A pointless ruse. I’ve already told you your hostility is wasted effort on a branded criminal.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;That isn’t for you to decide.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;She might mean the other Andalites,&gt; Cassie said privately.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;I can’t really blame her for assuming all Andalites look the same,&gt; Marco droned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jake eyed Elle intently, waiting for a sign.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;You’ve been told this. If you are lying, your life will be cut short.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Again, nothing out of her. Stiff as a tree. Elle studied him from top to bottom, then to us in the back. Other Yeerks would panic or mock us. But Elle’s Yeerk acted so differently. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If I was lying, I wouldn’t be here, would I?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;...How do you want to handle this?&gt; I whispered to Jake. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was quiet at first. &lt;We aren’t the Andalties you met this morning.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Yeerk reacted with as much genuine confusion as we had a while back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But you took us…” she first spoke normally, then switched her tone again. “So? Even if they weren’t you, they are still Andalite. You ordered them because of some futile retrieval mission.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;No.&gt; Jake hesitated. &lt;We didn’t know about their activity.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She studied him again. “...So you have no affiliation with them. A rogue job, perhaps?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;A warrior is never ‘rouge’. In all things, we still maintain our honor,&gt; Ax rebuked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And yet, it seems like you have miscommunication within your own ranks,” Elle mocked flatly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Look. It’s hard to believe so how about we’re both right?&gt; Marco suggested. &lt;We saw you this morning. And you saw Andalites too. But we both were at different places.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Controller looked almost convinced. “...Ok. This explanation is more reasonable than an elaborate story about a Sario Rip,” she blandly droned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Oh no. We’ve already been through those.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She raised an eyebrow, looking like it was a joke to her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;We think they acquired your host’s DNA to blend it,&gt; Cassie cut in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Elle pondered with </span>
  <em>
    <span>mild</span>
  </em>
  <span> surprise. “...That would explain why we heard her voice.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Whose voice?&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A young female human. Blond hair. Blue eyes.” Even as a bear, I tensed up on the spot. “Makes sense for you Andalites to acquire a human’s DNA.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;We didn’t-&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;That’s right.&gt; Marco stopped me. &lt;The best disguise is to hide in plain sight. Correct?&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;What are you doing?&gt; I hissed privately at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Shaddup! I’m fixing your mess.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And it’s not just her… A human boy was acting strange too.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;She must be talking about my DNA thief. Man, are these Andalites being a pain in the neck,&gt; Marco groaned secretly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That is so wrong,” Elle muttered with disgust. She then spoke in her flat tone, leaning forward in a calm manner, “No. That is a sound strategy to evade the Yeerks.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Why is she still acting weird?&gt; I asked privately but no one answered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;What did they want from you?&gt; Jake continued.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why don’t you go and ask them yourselves?” the Controller said tartly. “You might as well get it straight from the horse’s mouth-” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>All of a sudden, Elle stopped herself and fiddled with her hands. But the way she did was odd. Like it was on purpose. She put an index finger to her lip, followed by her left hand doing a chopping action on her right hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She pouted, looking away. Then she did her hand gestures again. I sorta recognized one as the shaka hand gesture. Elle was so fast jumping between each new movement of her fingers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Hey.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Elle ignored Jake completely. She focused on more hand gestures for another minute.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;We’re talking to you,&gt; I warned her angrily.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fine.” Elle folded her arms. “I’ll listen.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Finally,&gt; Marco droned loudly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That wasn’t to you, Andalites,” she said with her whole cold facade. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;What do you mean? And what was all that about?&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just an Earth custom,” she replied. “It is none of your concern.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Can this Yeerk stop playing games with us?&gt; I spat privately.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Perhaps it’s some kind of Yeerk encrypted code they’ve developed,&gt; Ax proposed. &lt;I have never seen them do such manners with appendages-&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Ahem!&gt; Jake uttered, reminding us we were off track. He closed the distance between himself and Elle, being as big and threatening as he could as a tiger.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Elle was completely deadpan. “You have my attention. I’ll entertain you.” She relaxed back in her seat but her brows squished together standoffishly. “Again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;We don’t like this as much as you do.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We are only here because of this war,” she said dryly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;What was this agreement they made with you?&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That we would be left alone, unharmed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Unharmed,&gt; Jake said softly, almost to himself. &lt;I cannot speak for those Andalites. Your deal was with them, not us.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Elle’s face darkened. “But of course. What mutual agreement can both parties come to </span>
  <em>
    <span>this time?</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;We want to find the others. You help us by telling us exactly what they said to you. Then we’ll leave you alone.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Wait, Jake!&gt; I said privately. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;I know,&gt; he replied privately. &lt;We’ll have Tobias watch her after this.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Basically, what the previous group proposed.” Elle squeezed the bridge of her nose with her left hand. “Regardless of what I say, you will simply dismiss it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;No. We will hear you. Because you </span>
  <em>
    <span>are </span>
  </em>
  <span>speaking the truth.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He showed the small, vintage watch he had in his mouth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Elle’s cold expression changed to a warmer one. “Becky’s watch!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;We found it outside. In the bins.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Carefully, Elle took the watch back with her right hand. She checked the front and the back before she held it tightly to her chest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She then eyed Jake with her cold, aloof stare.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;This doesn’t mean you are pardoned. If you oppose us, we </span>
  <em>
    <span>will </span>
  </em>
  <span>take measures into our own hands.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“...Not like we had a choice to begin with. The faster we do this, the faster I can take her home safely.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Who are you talking about?&gt; Cassie asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No one. What do you need?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Answers. What did these Andalites ask you?&gt; Jake pressed on the important question.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wouldn’t say their questions were entirely lucid. They didn’t make much sense. All they said is that it was imperil for them to retrieve a battery from the Yeerks. Something about it helping them return home.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;They’re stranded here?&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wouldn’t know. I’m only repeating what they said.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Alright. So what is this ‘device’?&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know either. It’s the first I’ve ever heard of.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;You’re a Yeerk. Aren’t you supposed to know what it is?&gt; Marco pointed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Does the title, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Werch</span>
  </em>
  <span>, not mean anything to you or do my words go through one of your auditory organs and out the other?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Ok. Fair enough.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Do you know about T’usli 9?&gt; Jake asked next.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Elle’s cold expression changed. Just a bit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That is out-of-bounds. The general Yeerk public has no clearance to that place.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;But you know what it is.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not a simple walk-in,” she explained. “If this battery is there, it’s a lost cause. This rogue group of yours won’t survive.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;They’ll be captured.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Being infested is the least of their worries. No one, not even a Yeerk, leaves a T’usli unscathed without the right credentials. They end up dead.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;That…&gt; Ax fell silent at first. Then headstrong. &lt;That is not possible. These are Andalite Warriors you are speaking of.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Possible. Impossible. They may be simultaneously dead and alive in the Tsu’li. The only way you can know is to go and see it yourself.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;That’s...cryptic,&gt; Jake pointed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Sounds more like an invitation to a trap,&gt; I said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Against those odds, the best choice you have is to abandon your allies.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;You can’t tell us to do that,&gt; Cassie said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My people did,” Elle remarked without hesitation. Her tone wasn’t bitter but it was frigid cold. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;What else did those Andalites say?&gt; Jake continued.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She pondered. “...I overheard them planning to infiltrate the base tomorrow. I don’t know when.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;That’s not good.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Then we have to stop them,&gt; Cassie urged us.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>FLASH!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>I saw Marco by the restaurant’s cashier, hands upfront. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, hey! Put that wok down. Let’s talk about this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I couldn’t go to him to help him. With whatever trouble he got himself this time. I was small. I could hear and see absolutely everything crystal clear. I was powerful! But I couldn’t move.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And this feeling...it felt somewhat familiar. Like I was back at an old cowboy movie-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You barged in acting like a weirdo!” Elle shouted, holding the small wok in her right hand like a sword. She was the one carrying me with her other hand. Her left arm was rigid for some reason.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Weirdo?! You’re the one acting up!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Get out! We - I don’t have anything to say to you! Or the Sharing!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Sharing?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh! That’s rich. Coming from </span>
  <em>
    <span>you!</span>
  </em>
  <span>” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you talking about?” Elle asked. She sounded legitly confused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, don’t play dumb. You know a lot more than you’re letting on! Especially </span>
  <em>
    <span>that battery</span>
  </em>
  <span>! It made the power plant explode!”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>FLASH!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>I was back. Back to listening to everyone in the room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And out of nowhere, I blurted out a question.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;What did you mean the power plant blew up?&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It stopped everyone from talking. And Elle clearly heard my thought-speech.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Huh? What kind of question is that?&gt; Marco asked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Because you just said that.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;I didn’t say anything.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I staggered back. &lt;What? But I...heard you…&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>What was going on? I felt my fur standing on end. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The vision was so powerful. So vivid. It wasn’t a dream, I was sure of it! Like I was back at the restaurant again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Was the strangeness making me go crazy? It didn’t help that I could feel Jake’s eyes on me. I wanted to tell him it was a weird, stupid phrase. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But my mind was all too wrapped up on what happened.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So is all of that sufficient?” Elle broke the tension with her deadpan tone. “Or do I have to keep repeating a third time?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;No,&gt; Jake answered. &lt;That’s enough.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She bowed her head in a dignified manner. It rubbed me off the wrong way. “I held my end of the bargain. Again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;We’re not the Andalites you’ve met.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And? Twice we’ve had our lives in the hands of Andalites.” Elle looked at her watch attentively before putting it back into her pocket. “Thankfully, this civil discussion hasn’t devolved to using violence.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Don’t test us, Yeerk,&gt; Ax snapped quietly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wouldn’t dream of it.” She held her palms out peacefully. “I believe you have your next steps to think of. And it is nearly this human’s curfew.” She suddenly stood up. “We will take our leave.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;W-Wait!&gt; I yelled. No way was I having a Yeerk waltz out of here! </span>
</p><p>
  <span>This time, she looked slightly impatient. “What more do you want from a </span>
  <em>
    <span>Werch?</span>
  </em>
  <span> You're grasping at the reeds here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I had no idea what she meant by that sentence. But I pushed. &lt;You’re still dangerous.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Rachel.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>I ignored Jake’s private thought-speech. &lt;There’s something not right about this Yeerk! She could still tell her friends about us-!&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So you want my silence?” Elle cut me off. “My silence </span>
  <em>
    <span>is </span>
  </em>
  <span>already imperative. Meeting your kind is a death sentence to us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Death sentence?&gt; Cassie repeated. &lt;What do you mean?&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why would it matter to you? Whatever your qualm is with this rogue group or my people, it has nothing to do with us. I don’t give a </span>
  <em>
    <span>Varx’s</span>
  </em>
  <span> jaek who wins in this insidious war.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Ax was suddenly flabbergasted. &lt;T-That is completely vulgar!&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My apology if you were born with highly-sensitive hearing. But I don’t care.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She practically pushed her way past us for the door. Animals that could tear her down. I turned to Jake to make an order. We couldn’t let her go!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;We will be watching, Yeerk,&gt; Jake just warned her. &lt;You can be certain of that.&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She stopped. “We wouldn’t expect nothing from you.” And walked right out of the studio apartment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;...Did...did we just let our captive go?&gt; Marco asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cassie glanced up to me. &lt;Rachel. Are you alright?&gt;</span>
</p><p>
  <span>&lt;Y-Yeah. I’m fine.&gt; I tried to convince her. But it was me I was trying to convince, not everyone. And I just couldn’t.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For the first time, since we became Animorphs…I was actually scared.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A/N: Hello again.</p><p>Next chapter up now that I got some free time again. And here's where we get to the meat of things...oh boy. Hopefully, I gave it a bit of some unsettling expectations for you while it's not obvious where I'm going with this story. What I do hope is if you readers manage to catch some interesting things with Elle and her Yeerk :3 This chapter really shines some aspects about them.</p><p>Anyhow I hope you enjoy this chapter. I'll upload the next one soon and that will be the last for the meantime until I get the next patch of chapters completed.</p><p>7/5/21 - First upload.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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